Craney Island Mosquito Management

The Craney Island Dredged Material Management Area is a 2,500-acre confined dredged material disposal site located in Portsmouth, Virginia.

The geography and features of the site create a habitat for mosquitoes in which they can live and breed.

Norfolk District's Integrated Pest Management Plan is an adaptive approach to mosquito population management at Craney Island, as the  quality of life of the Portsmouth community is a top priority. 

These mosquito surveillance and control activities are in accord with the Department of Defense guidelines on reducing the risk of mosquito-borne diseases and have the added benefit of reducing nuisance mosquito populations at Craney Island and the adjacent areas of Portsmouth, Virginia. 

The Norfolk District uses a three-pronged approach to mosquito control at CIDMMA, incorporating habitat control, larvae & adult control and surveillance:

• Source Reduction
  Land management activities to reduce mosquito habitat. This includes pumping dredge material into the cells to keep mosquito populations down, mowing, herbiciding and ditching (dewatering an area before mosquito emergence can occur).

• Surveillance
  Information gathering and analysis, which includes weather forecasts, mosquito trap numbers from and citizen complaints to the City of Portsmouth, and larvae observed on Craney Island.

• Larvae Control
  Aerial spraying of pesticides and biological control (bacteria) to target developing mosquitoes. Officials schedule larvicide spraying based on standing water amounts and the presence of larvae observed on Craney Island.

• Adult Control
  Aerial spraying of pesticides/adulticides. Officials schedule adulticide spraying based on mosquito trap numbers, mosquito complaints the City of Portsmouth receives, and projected weather.

The Norfolk District does not have the authority to spray over city or private property; spraying efforts are limited to federal property. Officials coordinate mosquito adulticide flights with the City of Portsmouth so the city can synchronize their spraying on non-federal areas in order to maximize the effectiveness of the treatments in northern parts of Portsmouth.

Norfolk District adheres to the Virginia Department of Agriculture's pesticide laws and regulations, and gives 48 hours notice before spraying.

Notices from the Norfolk District will also remind local beekeepers to keep their bees covered when adulticide spraying is scheduled.