Insect Update – Week of June 8th – Mosquito numbers increase throughout district, Culex numbers are high
June 18, 2021
Insect Update – Week of June 14th – Dry weather keeps mosquito numbers below 10-year average
June 23, 2021
June 20-26, 2021 is National Mosquito Control Awareness Week! MMCD will be highlighting the various people that protect the public from disease and annoyance caused by mosquitoes, ticks, and black flies. Stay tuned to our website, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for updates throughout the week!
Mosquito Field Technicians at the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District are some of the most critical parts of our team. Each year around 180 seasonal employees join us as mosquito, catch basin, or lab inspectors. These individuals come from a variety of backgrounds and career stages. This week we caught up with two inspectors from our North facility in Andover:
Lane Bagus, Mosquito Field Technician
What is your background and how long have you been with MMCD?
I went to school for entomology and studied aquatic biology at the University of Wisconsin - Superior and I worked in horticulture for Three Rivers Park district before coming to MMCD. I'm in my third year at MMCD; I actually first heard about it when I saw the booth at the State Fair.
What do you like about working for Mosquito Control?
I love being outdoors. You get to see some unique aspects of nature working as a field technician that you wouldn't normally get to experience - swamps and tamarack bogs and more out of the way spots. I also enjoy being able to see a noticeable difference in mosquito levels. After spending time in an area that's been treated as opposed to an area that hasn't, there's a noticeable difference in mosquitoes.
You're responsible for a lot of great pictures that MMCD uses. Tell us about your photography.
I grew up loving bugs and in college I started taking pictures of bugs under a microscope - they look so incredible up close. That's where I got started with macro photography. Now I have a page where I take pictures of Lake Superior agates and I contract with people who have rock collections. (Follow LS Agates on Facebook and Instagram).
What do you think people should know about MMCD?
Tell people to give us a call. People appreciate the work that we do and it's great talking to people who see the logo on our truck and want to talk about the mosquito situation in Minnesota.
Max Nivala, Mosquito Field Technician
How long have you been with MMCD and what drew you to this job?
This is my fourth year. I really like being outdoors, so that drew me to MMCD; for school (at the University of South Dakota) my major is conservation biology.
What are some things you like about this job?
The outdoors - being able to go into swamps and areas that you're normally not going to go, so we get to see places that people normally don't go and see how nature is when it's all by itself.
Is there anything you've learned from this job that you didn't know before?
The mosquito life cycle is very important and I've learned how many areas mosquitoes can breed in. They show up in places that people wouldn't expect.
What is something people may not know about Mosquito Control?
One big one is that people don't know we mostly do larval treatments. Residents may see us and ask why we aren't spraying anything and just dropping pellets instead. Treating larvae is most of what we do, though.
What do you do when you're not working or going to school?
I play soccer and also I like ceramics - making pottery is a big part of my life. At my house I have a wheel and a bunch of clay, I just don't have a kiln yet. The goal is to be able to sell it sometime in the future, but I need a kiln first.
What is the one thing you tell people when they ask what's great about working at MMCD?
This is great for people who love being outside. Most of the time you are working independently out in nature and it's great. It's like getting to explore the world.
See Lane and Max in the Field!
These two technicians from our North office took over the MMCD Instagram for a day on Monday. Follow us on Instagram and click on our profile and look at Story Highlights and find "North 2021" to see the photos and videos they posted.
Stay tuned for new highlights each day this week to celebrate National Mosquito Control Awareness Week! Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for mosquito control tips and news!
