Iberia and St. Landry Parishes will conduct aerial mosquito spray operations over the next several days. Below is information for each parish.
IBERIA: Iberia Parish Mosquito Abatement District will conduct aerial operations to address elevated mosquito populations over the weekend and Monday evenings. The District is asking citizens if you must be outdoors to wear repellent, cover exposed skin and avoid outdoor activity when mosquitoes are most active. Also, remember repellents with 30% DEET or less are labeled for use on children 2 years or older when applied according to instructions and by a parent. We expect favorable weather conditions. Operations will begin near sunset and last approximately one and one-half hours (1.5).
During this period, only hypersensitive individuals or persons that wish to avoid all exposure to chemicals in the designated spray area should refrain from outdoor activities; otherwise all other citizens can proceed with normal outdoor activities.
Citizens will notice low flying aircraft. If the aircraft is overhead DO NOT attempt to follow the path of the aircraft. The aircraft is traveling quickly and will be out of the area in a brief period!
Saturday (9/25) operation will focus in Laurent, Lydia, Sugar Oaks and Loreauville, specifically Port of Iberia, Lydia, Bayou Jack, Grand Marais, Pesson, Curtis Ln., areas east of Avery Island, Old Jeanerette Rd., then southeast to Hwy. 90 and 80 Arpent Rd. as well as Loreauville, surrounding areas such as Daspit, Vida Shaw, Bayou to Bayou, Blackline and all points in between.
Sunday (9/26) operations will focus in Delcambre & Rip Van Winkle, specifically, south of Lake Peigneur, R. Esponge, Bob Acres, Longside Rd., Andras, BJ Estelle Dr., Avery Island Rd., Segura Rd. and all points in between.
Monday (9/27) operations will focus in Jeanerette/St. Joe, specifically Little Valley Rd., Alta Dr., Hubertville Rd., Jeanerette, Linden Rd., E. Hwy 90 and all points in between.
If you have any questions or mosquito related problems, feel free to contact our office at (337) 365-4933. Please visit us on the web www.iberiaparishgovernment.com and click on "Mosquito Control" --- like us on Facebook for the latest. For more information about West Nile Virus, other mosquito-borne diseases and pesticides for mosquito control please visit www.cdc.gov and www.epa.gov.
For information regarding pesticides (Naled®) used for aerial spraying visit www.epa.gov or any questions after office hours please contact Herff Jones (337) 380-7140.
ST. LANDRY: St. Landry Parish President Jessie Bellard has scheduled an aerial spray operation this week for all areas within St. Landry in order to help reduce the number of mosquitoes resulting from the flooding caused by Hurricanes Ida and Nicholas. The aerial application will begin September 24, 2021, at approximately 7:00pm and continue until about 3:00am, weather permitting. The aerial application may take 3 days to complete based on weather conditions. Dibrom ® is the pesticide being applied at the rate of 0.5 fluid ounces per acre.
The aerial spray operation is being conducted in response to surveillance findings that indicate increased mosquito populations and also due to the limited road accessibility in this portion of the Parish. Aerial spraying is necessary to combat and control mosquitoes where ground spraying is less accessible and effective. If there is a weather delay, applications will begin the following night.
Vector Disease Control, Inc. (VDCI), a mosquito control company operating out of Bastrop, LA will be conducting the aerial spray operation. VDCI holds contingency contracts with multiple Louisiana Parishes and FEMA to provide application of adulticides on an "as-needed" basis. In 2021, VDCI has aerially treated over 3 million acres to control mosquitoes resulting from the floodwaters left behind by heavy rains, West Nile virus or other emergencies.
VDCI will be using multiple twin-engine aircraft flying at an altitude of approximately 300 feet to conduct the aerial application. Each aircraft is equipped with an aerial spray guidance system specifically engineered for mosquito control operations. The planes are able to receive in real-time, meteorological conditions such as temperature, wind speed and wind direction. "This onboard equipment allows us to optimize the application within the intended treatment areas, while minimizing drift outside the target zone," according to Daniel Markowski, Vice President of VDCI.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires notification to the public when aerial spray operations are to occur. For additional information and/or maps of the intended spray area contact VDCI at 800-413-4445.
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