A mosquito air raid is, thankfully, nothing like a plague of locusts.
Instead, it’s how the U.S. Air Force is assisting Calcasieu Parish with mosquito control in the aftermath of Hurricane Delta.
Two Air Force C-130 Hercules aircrafts are spraying the parish on Wednesday and Thursday, according to a news release from the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury. The applications will begin at dusk, when mosquitos are most active.
Each plane can treat about 120,000 acres in one mission, the news release said, noting aerial application of insecticide is the most effective way to rapidly reduce the number of mosquitos in an area without endangering people, pets or other animals.
This isn’t the first time military planes have assisted with mosquito control following a hurricane. A similar “mosquito air raid” happened in the Houston, Texas, area following Hurricane Harvey in 2017, according to local media reports.
Since Hurricane Delta made landfall on Oct. 9, mosquito control efforts have ramped up across southwest Louisiana, including in Acadiana.
Last week, Lafayette Consolidated Government announced there would be increased mosquito spraying in the area with assistance from neighboring parishes in the aftermath of the storm.
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