Pest Management professional keeps critters under control

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Angelique N. Smythe
  • 65th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
LAJES FIELD, Azores --  While most people run away from pests, one Airman spends her day studying and combating these unwanted critters.

Ants, fleas, spiders, centipedes, roaches, lice, beetles and mice are just a few pests Airmen encounter here. When the presence of these tiny creatures becomes uncontrollable, Airmen can dial the professional, Tech. Sgt. Elizabeth Foley, 65th Civil Engineer Squadron Pest Management.

Foley, who recently earned a master's degree in entomology, said she loves her job, although she never cared much for bugs until she joined the Air Force.

"I got this job after coming into the Air Force 'open general' and thought it would be cool to do the same type of job at a higher level," she said. "As an entomologist, you can work with more serious pests that are vectors of disease, such as mosquitoes, which can transmit diseases, such as malaria. I'd like to someday commission and become a medical entomologist."

In her current job as Lajes' pest management professional, Foley controls anything from ants to rats to Japanese beetles. She even indirectly facilitates aircraft operations by implementing control measures for birds and weeds on Lajes' airfield.

"I really enjoy my job," said Foley. "It's really interesting learning about these little creatures. I like when someone has a problem, they don't know what it is, and I can kind of play detective. Trying to figure out what type of species an insect is can be pretty difficult, so I like to look through my manuals and different online references to see if I can figure out what type of species it is exactly."

Pests and your home

"One of the biggest problems we have on this base is ants," she said. "This is our busiest time of year. Sometimes we have people calling because they think they have termites, but they're really reproductive ants with wings."

Once an ant colony becomes too big, she explained, the queen ant develops ants with wings which go out in a swarm, mate and then search for new homes. Because of their attraction to lights, they are often found around window sills. Usually mistaken as termites, Foley explained the top two wings of these ants are typically shorter than their bottom two, whereas all wings on termites are the same length.

"As water hits the house, drips down to the side of the house and goes underneath the foundation, their nests starts to grow," said Foley. "They depend on that moisture, so in the summer months, they start coming inside to look for moisture and other things. That's why people will notice ants coming out of random places, such as in the middle of their living rooms or through a crack in the seal of their floors."

Foley and her Portuguese colleagues combat these ants and their nests with bait.

"It could take a few days to a couple weeks to control the problem with the baits, but this is the most effective method that we have," said Foley. "If you use chemicals such as Raid, it only kills the ants that are immediately there. These bait stations kill the ants that are underneath the house."

When an ant finds a food source, they send off a pheromone that alerts the other ants. Foley suggests individuals not disrupt the ants with any other chemicals, such as Raid, bleach or even Windex.

"Just let them go get the bait," said Foley. "If there are too many and they're getting kind of crazy, I always recommend using a wet paper towel to wipe them up, and then throw them in the trash. Don't mess up the scent because then they will not go to the bait, and it won't work."

Foley said baits can be bought at the Lajes Base Exchange. However, if anyone who lives on base calls her office, Foley and her team can visit the home, do a survey and find any cracks in the outside of the wall that may need to be fixed. The Pest Management team does not treat off base homes, however.

Airmen against pests

Airmen can do their part in decreasing the appearances of pests by maintaining good housekeeping as well as ensuring they have good window and floor seals.

"Sanitation is always number one, so keep food and debris off the ground," said Foley. "Unfortunately, the ants here on the island will come into the cleanest homes simply because they're looking for moisture, and they're trying to expand their colony. The best thing for prevention here is exclusion, which is making sure all the seals on the windows are in good shape and that there are no cracks on the exterior walls that could leak or take water underneath the building. Also, make sure all the joints are sealed on the floors."

There are a couple other ways little critters can still sneak into the home. This includes latching onto pets.

"Fleas are a big one; they are year round pests here because of the temperate climate," said Foley. "The first thing to do when you notice your pet has fleas is get the pet treated. I would not recommend using the over counter stuff. I recommend going to the vet and getting the correct treatment dosage for the weight of your pet. Then, start cleaning your house because when a dog gets fleas, the fleas bite immediately and they start laying eggs almost immediately. The eggs fall off the dog into (the house). Be really diligent about vacuuming."

The most important thing is keeping pets treated, Foley said.

"We can spray for fleas at the residents' home, but they can take care of any problems at the house without us putting down those chemicals," said Foley. "If the problem gets out of control, call us. If you are nervous because of little ones, call us and we'll give you guidance or come take care of the problem for you."

Public Health & Pest Management partnership

Although there are a number of various pests that are controlled by the Pest Management team, one positive aspect of being at Lajes is that there are no venomous insects on the island. To ensure it stays that way, Pest Management works with Public Health to capture and study insects, such as mosquitoes.

"We have a weekly trapping schedule for mosquitoes that starts in May and runs through September, the peak season for mosquitoes," said Capt. Melissa Peters, 65th Medical Operations Squadron Public Health Flight commander. "We set up traps across the base to collect mosquitoes, put them in the freezer, count them and sort them out between males and females, as female mosquitoes are the only ones that bite. Then we ship them off to Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, where the head entomologist is located to identify what breeds of mosquitoes we have. Mosquitoes haven't been a big problem here, but identifying them tells us what diseases they could potentially carry."

Peters cautions against leaving garbage out and open containers of water sitting around the house. Mosquitoes breed in water, so don't leave out open containers, such as buckets of water, pet bowls or tires where water sits, she said. Make sure there is no food debris or garbage left around the house.

Public Health inspects food facilities and is most often the recipient of pest complaints and reports from customers, but they in turn will contact the Pest Management office to eliminate any issues.

Discovering the type of species helps Foley to understand the insect's life cycle as well as habits, which allows for the use of the best control methods.

American & Portuguese teamwork

Like many functions in the 65th CES, Foley's section is predominantly manned by Portuguese local national employees. She commended her team as highly-regarded professionals, known for customer service excellence.

"I have four local nationals who work here, and I would argue that they are the best local nationals on base," said Foley. "They do most of the service calls and I get nothing but positive remarks about the work that they do."

Anyone in need of pest management assistance may call 535-5159.