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Weekly Update – June 20th – Mosquitoes Decline Heading into July
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June 19-25, 2022 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 technicians. These individuals come from a variety of backgrounds and career stages. Today we catch up with two field technicians from our Plymouth facility:
Cheng Yang, Field Technician
Cheng Yang, Mosquito Field Technician
Katie Powell, Mosquito Field Technician
How long have you been with MMCD and what did you do before?
KATIE: I've been here for about a month and I'm a full time student getting my Master in Public Health at the U of M, Twin Cities.
CHENG: This is my fourth season with MMCD and before that I was with the Minnesota Conservation Corps working through the Three Rivers Park District in their forestry department.
What are some things you enjoy about being a Field Technician?
CHENG: Being outside, honestly, is the most important thing for me. I don't want to be stuck in an office. Also making a difference in the community.
KATIE: Yeah, I definitely enjoy the hiking - minus getting stuck in swamps sometimes. We meet people periodically and they are always very appreciative of what we do. It's a good workout, too.
Katie Powell, Field Technician
What are some unique experiences you've had in the field?
KATIE: Yeah, I definitely got stuck up to my waist in a swamp. I was doing larval treatments with my backpack and I had to dig myself out.
CHENG: Everyone trips at some point and it's definitely happened to me. One time I was in an air site doing a dip, and after I got the bugs I needed I fell into a hole.
Being in nature, have you had any interesting encounters with wildlife?
CHENG: Recently when treating a ground site I almost walked on a fawn. I also see a lot of great blue heron, green heron, and a couple of sandhill cranes.
KATIE: When I was treating a storm drain catch basin I encountered a raccoon sleeping so I just had to be careful not to drop anything on it. Also, lots of turtles and frogs.
Cheng, you work with UAS/drones at MMCD. What has been that experience?
CHENG: Drones are a lot more efficient than treating by backpack for sites that are too big to treat on the ground and too small for the helicopter. It's also really good for sites that are surrounded by buckthorn and are really hard to reach on foot. It also helps on sites where there's a risk a technician can fall in the swamp. It keeps technicians out of hazardous situations.
Do you think drones are going to be a big part of the future of mosquito control?
CHENG: The drone program itself is still in its infancy, so we don't have enough data to make a sound statement on that. Once we have more data, though, the possibility is definitely there.
Katie, how does this job at MMCD tie in with your graduate program?
KATIE: I like to study entomology and that's a big aspect of the job. My advisor happens to be an entomologist and he recommended this job, so this work is something I can use in the military as well.
Field staff are taking over the MMCD Instagram!
Field technicians will be taking over the MMCD Instagram this week! Follow us on Instagram and watch the stories live or click on our profile and look at Story Highlights to see the photos and videos.
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!
