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SLIDELL, La.
A parish in Louisiana is bringing a Mississippi helicopter to fight West Nile virus this year.
A press release indicates that the helicopter will drop mosquito bacteria into a parish neighborhood of St. Tammany, where a fifth of the mosquito's infected mosquito pools were discovered last year. Since mosquitoes are so small, groups of 50 or more of the same species are tested together for the virus.
The 30-day program with the helicopter will begin the third week of May in the Tammany Hills neighborhood.
The bacterium naturally infects mosquito larvae and other flies. It is a subspecies of Bt, or Bacillus thuringensis, used since the 1960s to control plant pests. There are many strains of bacteria, each acting against different groups of insects.
"Helicopter mosquito treatment has been used successfully in many Florida counties for many years," said Kevin Caillouet, director of mosquito control at St. Tammany Parish. He said it helped this region keep the Zika virus under control.
The mosquito control team distributes the larvicide in parochial road ditches, but the helicopter can reach inaccessible stagnant waters. This includes unsupervised pools, small ponds and water retention containers.
The helicopter can fly slowly and slowly over a designated area, spraying larvicide on habitats including woodlands and marshes.
Residents can expect a few low and strong pbades near their homes, spraying a very fine haze on the area, officials said.
In addition, the helicopter will add to the arsenal of ground-based pesticide spray and Twin Otter fixed-wing aircraft in areas where the number of domestic mosquito adults, one of the West Niile's largest carriers, is increasing. Officials said the helicopter could focus on smaller areas than the aircraft.
The helicopter contractor is Blackstar Helicopter from Picayune, Mississippi, which operates in seven states.
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