Aerial Services

TRMVC uses small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (sUAVs), better known as Drones, within our services.

sUAVs offer many benefits like a zero footprint on marshes and sensitive lands, smaller, more precise treatments, improved irrigation monitoring, and increased detection of mosquito larvae. 

Staff is licensed IAW FAA Part 107 and uses sUAVs for aerial photography, to locate mosquito sources.  We also maintain an FAA Part 137, with the intent to utilize drones to larvicide sources currently inaccessible, in order to reduce the need for adulticide fogging.  As of July 2018, Three Rivers Mosquito & Vector Control was the first company in the Pacific Northwest to be authorized by the FAA to conduct mosquito control liquid and granular spraying missions, with a small unmanned aircraft.  

During the summer of 2018, TRMVC staff was licensed by the Washington State Department of Agriculture to apply pesticides with a small UAV.

As of December 31st, 2018, TRMVC became licensed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture, to apply larvicides with a small UAV. 

Our second goal was to implement the granular drone.  This was completed and implemented in 2020.  

In 2022, TRMVC worked in partnership with a local Technical College to modify a currently utilized spray drone, to create droplet sizes needed to adulticide with a sUAV.  Rotary atomizers and pumps were added to give us the capability to treat for adult mosquitoes with a drone.

As of 2023, TRMVC is working to create an in-house built, sUAV utilizing US technology, attempting to replace the current, foreign manufactured drones.  These will hopefully be available to the public by 2024.