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It won’t be a UFO but it will clearly be visible.  The Twin Falls County Pest Abatement District is going to be deploying a pair of drones to fight mosquitoes and black flies.  One of the drones being deployed actually floats.  It can land on water after it flies above and distributes treatment.  Another has a wing span of 6 feet.

Some counties in Idaho adopted the drones and found the savings was in the tens of thousands of dollars.

What does this cost the county?  Considerably less than using a small plane.  Some counties in Idaho adopted the drones and found the savings was in the tens of thousands of dollars.

You could be seeing some of the first flights over Murtaugh Lake very soon.  Treatment begins during cold weather months in order to keep populations down in spring or summer.

The City of Twin Falls won’t likely see as much of the drone.  Most mosquito control efforts in the city relate to storm drains.  Traditional baits are used.

In the western part of the county the black flies are a bigger issue.  The insects are an irritant to livestock as well as people.

The drones being used by pest abatement are a bit sturdier than what you can buy at Costco.  It does tell us government is now using technology in ways that will benefit the public on multiple levels.  Disease threats are reduced and at a cost much, much lower than any previous methods.

As technology becomes even more precise, other government offices find new uses.  The tax savings across the board could be immense in coming decades.  And when it comes to operating a drone, I believe work is getting a lot more fun for some people.

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