Weekly Update – June 12th – Dry Weather Lowers Mosquito Numbers in Some Areas
June 20, 2023
NMCAW: Meet Mike and Pablo from MMCD’s Rosemount Facility
June 23, 2023
Maple Grove Mosquito Field Technicians Kevin Castelle and Allison Bolterman
June 18-24, 2023 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, Instagram, and TikTok 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 Maple Grove facility:
Allison Bolterman, Mosquito Field Technician
Kevin Kastelle, Mosquito Field Technician
How long have you been working at MMCD?
ALLISON: This is my first season at MMCD. I started on May 15th, so this is my 6th week here.
KEVIN: Two weeks.
What were you doing before this?
ALLISON: I'm a college student, so I just finished my freshman year at UW river falls. I was looking for a seasonal job since I'm only back home in the summer. I found this place and thought it would be perfect for a summer job that fits well with my major.
KEVIN: I work for Intermediate school district 287 during the school year.
Mosquito field technician Allison Bolterman
Run me through a day on the job.
ALLISON: Right when we arrive, we wait for the [Field Operations Supervisors] to have their morning meeting and they let us know what we need to get done for the day. Then, we go out and grab our materials that we’ll need to start the day such as [control] material, nets, backpacks, etc. Once we have everything loaded in our trucks, we go off and start our tasks. Whether that be throwing pre-hatch material out, doing sucos [aspirator traps], or customer calls. We meet with our crew at 12pm every day for lunch at a local park. After lunch we go back out to the field and continue working until it’s time to come back. Once back at the shop, we weigh our material, log everything that’s necessary, put stuff away and wait for everyone to come back before being dismissed for the day.
KEVIN: So my experience so far has been pretreatment, collecting the results of different traps for adult mosquitoes, and learning the technology needed to work in the field.
What’s the coolest part of this job?
ALLISON: The coolest part about this job is seeing some of the sites. A lot of them are in heavily wooded areas and we have to go through them to get to our sites. These are usually places where I'd never go on my own but for work, I do. I've seen some pretty cool views and it’s always fun to see what type of critters are hidden away. Being able to be outside and in the environment every day for work is something that I really love so working here is the perfect job for me.
KEVIN: The co-workers for sure.
Mosquito field technician Kevin Castelle
Tell me a time about a wacky story working here?
ALLISON: One time I was in a site that had some muddy water, more than I realized. I was walking out to get to the site when suddenly, my boot sank into the mud all the way up to my mid-calf. As I was trying to get unstuck my other foot got stuck in the mud, so I was in a pickle. luckily, I figured out how to save myself without getting all muddy.
KEVIN: So, since I am kind of new, I don't have many. The one interesting time was when we were sweeping for adult mosquitoes. The only thing I caught in the net was two Parasitic Wasps.
What have you learned while working here?
ALLISON: I've learned a lot while working here. The thing that stuck most with me is that mosquito eggs can live up to 5 years and you need about an inch of rain for a mosquito brood to happen.
KEVIN: I am learning quite a bit about ticks and mosquitoes. Larvae development is interesting. What's also interesting is that residents want to be informed and know what we are doing.
How does this job play a larger role in your career journey?
ALLISON: This job is very beneficial for my career path. I'm currently majoring in environmental science so this job gives me hands-on experience in that field. I get to see what type of job I might have in the future and make connections while I'm here which is always a plus. It also gives me good experience for future resumes when trying to apply for a job.
KEVIN: This may be a great fit as a seasonal career following my retirement from education.
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!
