910th Aerial Spray swats 'skeeters' at JB Charleston Published June 20, 2013 By Master Sgt. Bob Barko Jr. 910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs Joint Base Charleston, S.C. -- "There must be thousands of 'em, millions of 'em. What are they doing?" "It looks like they're preparing an invasion." Even though this dialogue is from the 1996 science fiction blockbuster film, "Independence Day," it is an accurate description of the annual real-life assault from saltwater marsh mosquitoes on the people who work and live at Joint Base (JB) Charleston, S.C. In 2012, Air Force Reserve Command's 910th Airlift Wing's Aerial Spray Unit, based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station (YARS), Ohio, deployed to Charleston in response to an emergency call to do battle with the disease-carrying pest insects inundating the joint base's Naval Weapons Station and aid in providing much sought relief for those that call the installation home. After last year's successful battle with the invaders, the pest management team at JB Charleston put a battle plan in motion to become a recurring stop on the annual schedule for the 910th 's unique capability. This year, the 910th returned to the installation on another aerial spray mission, June 14-16, 2013, to continue the war on the pesky 'skeeters.' "The 910th is the only DoD unit that can take care of this for us," said Tony Mincey, Installation Pest Management Coordinator for Joint Base Charleston. The wing's 757th Airlift Squadron is home to the Department of Defense's (DoD) only large-area, fixed wing aerial spray capability. According to the 910th's Aerial Spray Fact Sheet, the unit is "tasked to control disease-carrying insects, pest insects, undesirable vegetation and to disperse oil spills in large bodies of water." The 757th's aerial spray unit, using specially-modified C-130 Hercules tactical cargo aircraft, is tasked to work in areas measuring more than 5,000 acres. This year's mission over the weapons station at Charleston covered approximately 16,500 acres of the installation. One area in particular, known as the spoils site was a prime target for the C-130 aircrews dispersing the mosquito control product. "That area produces 40 million mosquitoes per acre," Mincey said, "And, it's a 30-acre site." Although an enemy force of approximately 1.2 billion may seem like an insurmountable foe, the 18-person highly-trained aerial spray team, made up of traditional Air Force Reservists and Air Reserve Technicians, arrived in Charleston ready to do battle again. The fact that the well-seasoned team was also armed with the unit's custom-designed Modular Aerial Spray System that are built to carry Environmental Protection Agency-approved products specifically selected for the task at hand helped ensure a successful mission. "We are doing an aerial application of insecticide to control the mosquito population here," said Tech. Sgt. Eric Wrenn, a spray operator assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron. "We focus in and pick an adequate flow rate needed for the mission. In this type of system, the fluid comes out atomized (mixed with water)... it is (equal) to a shot glass of (insecticide) over a whole football field." According to 910th entomologists, the wing's on-staff experts on the target insects and the products used to eliminate them, one of the unit's main tenants of the spray mission is the judicious use of aerial spray products in eliminating pests and protecting people. Only enough of the required pesticide is used to accomplish the mission while preserving the environment as much as possible. The idea of using not too much and not too little product is ultimately about accomplishing the current operation and controlling the targeted pest insects. The mission's goal was also to assist the base population at JB Charleston. "I love it, I think it's great," said Wrenn. "We're helping the people (here). It's nice to do something... for the base. It's really unique. There's really nobody else who does this kind of work. It feels good to be a part of something different." The leader of the aerial spray team on this assignment agreed that the area was in dire need of the 910th's one-of-a-kind pest control methods. "The pre-mission mosquito trap counts were as high as 880 (insects)," said Lt. Col. Frank Galati, 910th Aerial Spray Mission Commander for the Charleston operation. "We only need about 20 in the trap to go ahead with the aerial spraying, so they really needed it done." At the end of the spray, the answer to the question of "Did it work?" is contained within the insect traps that are checked again during the week after the mosquito control operation is conducted. "The trap counts really tell the tale of how effective the spraying was to knock down the target pests," said Mincey. The placement of mosquito traps for post-mission insect counts had to wait for two days because of storms moving through the Charleston area just after the aerial spraying. The installation pest management coordinator was able to set his trap on Tuesday, June 17, 2013. "In this trap, the Friday night number was 177," said Mincey. "The Tuesday night trap count was down to 1. That is a massive improvement. So, we really appreciate what the 910th has done for us and we are already talking about them coming back next year." The drastically reduced number of insects in the mosquito traps indicated a successful mission and a victory for the 910th's specialized team in this battle at Joint Base Charleston. But, the war against disease-carrying pest insects continues, so the 910th Airlift Wing's Aerial Spray Unit will be ready to fight at another place, at another time whenever they are called to face these invading pest insect enemies. Editor's Note: Senior Airman Brandi Hansen, VI Specialist, 1st Combat Camera Squadron, Joint Base Charleston, S.C. was primary contributor of the edited footage in the attached video story.