Student Research Reports

View Research Report

Mosquitoes are a risk to humans and animals. Though there are some regions where a higher risk occurs, Burlington County, NJ is made up of wetland and swampy areas. Many schools and businesses (like the Post Office) drain the water from the roof to retention ponds that stay wet all year. Trying to locate mosquito breeding areas by walking and looking from the ground takes a lot of time. This research uses high tech drones to identify potential mosquito breeding habitats. Drones were flown above three areas in the Medford Public School District. After taking the images, they were analyzed. Areas where water collects and is stored, are good areas for mosquitoes to breed. Flat roofs are also good areas to check. To help answer the question, “How can drones be used to identify mosquito breeding habitats in Medford, NJ?” the following objectives were assigned to the research. The ideas for these objectives came from the GLOBE program Mission Mosquito project. • Identify the breeding habitats using drones. • Sample and count mosquitoes. • Identify species of larvae. • Eliminate the breeding site, if possible. The research in this report centers on “Identify the breeding habitats using drones.” The rest of the objectives will be met when mosquito season begins and breeding becomes active. Larvae from locations identified using drone pictures will be counted. Recommendations to eliminate breeding sites found will be given to the Medford Township Board of Education to try and decrease the number of larvae and hopefully decreasing the risk of diseases. Drones were found to be a efficient way to locate mosquito breeding sites because of their ability to take pictures of large areas of land fast and with great detail. It is the suggestion of this research team that future CSEPers continue the research next school year.