By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
GREAT VALLEY — Mosquito relief is on the way.
Jeff Duflo of Duflo Spray Chemical Inc., Lowville, has been flying to Cattaraugus County to spray for mosquitoes or mosquito larvae for more than 30 years.
He arrived at the Great Valley Airport late Tuesday and had to wait for the sun to burn off a fog before taking off soon after 9 o’clock on Wednesday.
His first run was over hundreds of acres of wetlands in the town of Carrollton.
His son Garrett prepared a computer mapping program from his home in St. Louis and emailed it to his sister Brittany, who oversees much of the business end of the aerial spraying company. She downloads it into the onboard computer, which generates a real-time display for her father, the pilot.
The GIS-based computer tells the pilot where they are and can be programmed to automatically release a pre-mixed cocktail of larvicide designed to halt the growth of mosquito larvae in breeding pools.
Jeff designed and patented the Micromist 900 spraying system which can release droplets so small they can float on air currents. It is the key to delivering a 150-foot wide swath of mist while the plane is flying at 150 mph, 150 feet above the ground.
The larvicide, Altosid, is an insect growth inhibitor (IGI), said Jeff. It is a concentrate that when mixed with water is sprayed at a rate of ¾ of an ounce per acre. “It is very safe” and is approved by the EPA, DEC and state Health Department.
“This is science,” Jeff said of the different types of material available for aerial spraying for specific types of insects. He said he is driven to match the type of application with each specific problem. “I like to choose the material I would apply to my own land,” he added. The various applications available are not cheap.
It is the price to protect people and animals like cows and horses from mosquito borne diseases like West Nile virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis.
Jeff said residents can remove items that hold water — like barrels or pails from around their property and keep standing water from eavestroughs to deny mosquitoes areas to breed.
The IGI remains effective for up to a month and is approved by the World Health Organization for application in drinking water to control mosquito larvae, Jeff Duflo said in an interview with the Olean Star at the Great Valley Airport Wednesday afternoon before he, his daughter and wife, Renee went for lunch at Katy’s Fly-In across Route 219 from the airstrip.
Jeff Duflo said he had to fight two storms to get to Great Valley Tuesday night. The weather had kept his Piper Aztec grounded at the company’s airport in the North Country since Friday when he had hoped to leave for Cattaraugus County.
His maps of wetlands in the cities of Olean and Salamanca and the towns of Olean, Allegany, Portville, Hinsdale, Carrollton and Great Valley had been ready for days.
County lawmakers declared an emergency last Wednesday and contracted with Duflo Spray Chemical Inc. before it was approved by the full legislature on Wednesday night.
Besides the 3,463 acres where Jeff plans to spray for the Cattaraugus County cities and towns, he has been contracted by the Seneca Nation to spray wetlands across the Allegany and Cattaraugus territories, which will add a few more days to his aerial spraying.
