Charleston County working to curb mosquito problem

North Charleston, S.C. (WCBD) – Charleston County is hoping that updates to equipment in its mosquito lab will help address mosquito-borne diseases more quickly.

The new equipment will expedite testing, allowing officials to stop the spread at an earlier stage.

Charleston County Mosquito Control Division Taxonomist Ed Harne said faster results will mean faster action.

“If we find a disease in one of the mosquitoes that we test, we can immediately, go out to the public, go to the place that it was found, and begin to do mosquito control to prevent any further transmission,” said Harne.

The bread and butter of the operation is a little red box smaller than a box of tissues, but with a hefty price tag.

“The whole program was a $30,000 investment, $25,000 of that was [the box],” said Charleston County Mosquito Control Division Entomologist Andrew Pierson.

Pierson said the alternative method of getting results is not nearly as quick.

“When I do it, it’s 3 hours. When we send them out… we get a report maybe once a month,” said Pierson.

While work in the lab is important, Harne said preventing the spread of diseases starts at home.

“Anything that can hold water can breed loads of mosquitoes, and I’m talking about something as small as a child’s toy bucket,” said Harne.

Harne also recommends visiting the county website for more information on ways to prevent mosquitos from spreading as well as daily updates on where mosquitoes are being sprayed for.