BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – Broward County will soon be using trucks to spray larvicide in addition to aerial spraying to combat the Zika virus.
The goal is the same: Target mosquitoes in the larvae stage.
The larvicide in the turbine sprayers is mixed with water, and the solution comes out of the turbine.
Unlike door-to-door spraying, the design allows the solution to get into people's backyards or spots that are hard to reach.
"We can cover a large area very quickly," Broward County Mosquito Control Section director Anh Ton said. "We drive this about 5 to 7 mph, whereas on foot you go from door to door, and in many places people don't want us to go into their backyard or they're not home, so we don't have access to it."
The solution that the county uses is called VectoBac WG, which officials said is natural, but just as efficient.
"This is not naled. This is a naturally occurring biodegradable material that we're spraying, and it's safe in humans and pets," Ton said.
When water is mixed and mosquitoes get to the larvae stage, they feed on the VectoBac and die, officials said.
County officials said they will still be doing aerial spraying and door-to-door spraying on the ground.
