Pest busting keeps Entomology Shop buzzing Published Aug. 7, 2009 By Wayne Crenshaw 78 ABW/PA ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Danny Jones doesn't have any trouble with employee turnover in the shop he supervises. And if he did have some people leave, it probably wouldn't take long to fill the positions. "I have a lot of people ask me if we have any openings," said Mr. Jones, who supervises the Entomology Shop. "They want to work here." For anyone with an interest in all things that creep, crawl, slither and bite, the Entomology Shop really is the place to work. About 70 percent of the job, Mr. Jones said, deals with pest control, and the other 30 percent deals with wildlife issues. People enjoy the job because of the variety. "There are no two days that are exactly the same," he said. Mr. Jones has been in the shop for 28 years. At one time 14 people worked there, including Airmen. Due to some of the work being contracted in recent years, there are now only five employees, including Mr. Jones, and all are civilians. The civilians who come to the shop tend to stay a while, he said. Some days they are doing basic pest-control activity, which includes spraying in buildings. Other days they might be trying to trap raccoons or hogs, and occasionally they even have to try to catch alligators. Probably their most important mission, however, is to assist in keeping birds away from the runway area. Birds pose a serious hazard to aircraft, as was so dramatically demonstrated earlier this year when a US Airways airliner went down in New York after striking a flock of Canada geese. Only the skills of Capt. Chesley Sullenberger, a former Air Force fighter pilot, and his crew saved the 155 people on board. Canada geese are one of the most common concerns on the runway here, Mr. Jones said, because of their size. But even a flock of small birds can be a problem to aircraft. "The potential is great," he said. Mr. Jones has some unique weapons in his shop to help keep birds away from the runway area. When birds don't want to shoo away, the Entomology Shop brings out its propane cannons. The cannons were once stationed along the flightline and fired periodically, emitting an extremely loud sound. Now the cannons are used only as needed, Mr. Jones said. "It sends off a horrendous blast," he said. The shop is on call at all times to respond to any bird problems on the runway, he said. A different bird problem that they tackle in the flightline area is pigeons in the hangars. They routinely go out to hangars to shoot pigeons with pellet guns. Sometimes hawks come into the hangars and help out, Mr. Jones said. He had one supervisor call to complain that hawks were killing pigeons. When he first started at the shop, it only dealt with pest issues. Whenever there was a wildlife problem they would call the Department of Natural Resources. But in recent years, as more critters have moved from the swamp into the base area, the Entomology Shop has taken on the wildlife issue. Mr. Jones said that if at all possible they try to trap animals live and relocate them, even rattlesnakes. The shop also sprays herbicides for weed control, particularly in critical areas such as the runway and along the perimeter fence. Spraying for mosquitoes is a big part of the shop's job. The Public Health Flight does regular mosquito counts and spraying is done based on those counts. This year has been particularly bad for mosquitoes, Mr. Jones said, because the wet weather has created plenty of standing water, which mosquitoes use to reproduce. Spraying is concentrated in the area around the sewage treatment plant and in the family camping area. People can help cut down on the mosquito population by making sure nothing is left out that could collect water, Mr. Jones said. Bird baths should be changed regularly. But the biggest pest problem on base is ants. Mr. Jones said there are different types of ants on base and each one requires a different method to control. People can help with the ant problem by not leaving out food or food wrappers. "If we get a call about ants, it's usually because somebody left a wrapper out over the weekend," he said.