Lee County Mosquito Control District may look to the skies in their battle to control mosquitoes.
The FAA rules are making it easier for certain governmental agencies to utilize drone technology and in this case for spraying in areas not easily accessible.
LCMCD employees are testing the use of the drones that would drop mosquito killing pellets in standing water. And a drone helicopter that could be tasked with spraying larger areas with liquid.
According to Lee County’s Mosquito Control has budgeted $16 million, which is not enough to cover it all. But drones may help the process with costs much lower than normal methods. The use of multiple drones would be much more economical to operate compared to the fuel and maintenance of normal delivery vehicles and aircraft.
According to LCMCD employee, this program is still years off and needs to have more testing to see if it is effective.