The Delta MAD began with one full-time employee, Director E.I. Feemster and two seasonal employees during each summer to cover the original 16 square miles that made up the district during the first 25 years. After the end of the second World War II, and from 1946 to 1948, Delta MAD annexed the northern part of Tulare County to include 10 additional cities bringing the size of the District to over 712 square miles. During the expansion, staff was increased to 14 full-time employees. The growth of the Delta MAD was due to increased public interest and demand on incorporating mosquito control in their new communities.
Throughout the years, Delta Mosquito and Vector Control District (DMVCD) as it is known now, has taken on additional responsibilities and integrated mosquito management methods of control. Originally, the main mission to control mosquitoes was to control the spread of their mosquito-borne disease, Malaria. However, in the 1940s and 1950s, Delta MAD began conducting missions to control also filth flies using physical, mechanical, and source reduction, as there was a large issue with flies among the local agricultural growers within the District. In 1960, Delta MAD purchased its first plane to apply treatments on larger breeding sources (Figure 2).
Figure 2. A plane was purchased, a Pawnee 150, used by Delta Mosquito Abatement District to apply pesticides in 1960.
As efforts on source reduction were showing success, the amount and size of sources were reduced, and aerial treatment was contracted out to aerial-application piloting services for the few areas where aerial pesticide application was still needed. In the 1970s, Delta MAD intensified its work to control the spread of the mosquito-borne disease, Western Equine Encephalitis.
After 51 years of being known as Delta Mosquito Abatement District, its name was changed to Delta Vector Control District in 1973. In 2021, the district’s name was changed to Delta Mosquito and Vector Control District with an updated logo to reflect its priorities. In 2022, Delta MVCD began a collaborative effort with Oxitec Ltd on a new and innovative mosquito control method approved by the Environmental Protection Agency to control the invasive yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Today, Delta Mosquito and Vector Control District serves over 712 square miles in Northern Tulare County and employs a team of 20 full time employees who are supplemented by an additional 26 seasonal employees during the peak summer months of the mosquito season. Every season, our team at Delta MVCD works diligently on incorporating better, improved, innovative, and more efficient ways of combatting the mosquitoes that transmit serious mosquito-borne diseases.
This year, we celebrated our 100-year Anniversary Milestone. Everyone was invited to an open house to celebrate our monumental anniversary (Figure 3) and showcased the district’s headquarters, cutting edge laboratory, fish hatchery, new surveillance and pesticide application equipment, with food, music, and giveaways. The successful event was held at our district headquarters location on Saturday, October 8, 2022.
Figure 3. 100-year Anniversary Celebration