Truck-mounted thermal aerosol
generators used in mosquito control programs
produce a highly visible insecticide fog
that moves across open spaces, killing
mosquitoes in flight as air currents move
it.
Source:
http://www.health.state.nm.us/erd/HealthData/documents/Equipment_000.pdf
Viewpoint: Are We Just Power Mad? By
Robert Ward – Winter 2000 Issue of Wing Beats
…Stroll down memory lane with the venerable
thermal fog machine, be it a TIFA, LECO, Dynafog,
or any other of those hot smelly "smokers"
belching up to eighty gallons of fog material an
hour. …here came ULV. No more fireballs, greasy
streets and cars, or blinded drivers (either
yours or the public).
Source:
http://wingbeats.floridamosquito.org/WingBeats/pdfs/Vol11No4.pdf
Source:
December 2007
interview with Robert Ward – retired Manager,
Polk County Mosquito Control, Bartow, Florida Q:
Approximately when were thermal foggers used in
the U.S.? A:
The thermal fogger was the sprayer of choice in
the early 1960s. Q:
What did the thermal foggers look like? A:
Pickup trucks were used – a cab and chassis. The
sprayer was mounted on a plate and bolted on the
cab and chassis. The nozzle mechanism cost $500,
which was very expensive back then. Q:
Where were the thermal foggers used? A:
Throughout the U.S., but concentrated in
California and Florida and along the Gulf Coast. Q:
How frequently, and during what parts of the
year, was spraying typically done? A:
This varied regionally, but in Florida it was
from April to October and once per week on
average. In the 1960s, when there were
encephalitis outbreaks, an area might be sprayed
several days in a row. Many programs sprayed
all night. Others sprayed for the first 2-3
hours of darkness and the last 2-3 hours before
daylight. Q:
What prompted the switch from thermal to ULV
foggers? A:
A prime impetus for the switch was the fuel
crunch of the 1970’s. ULV did not require oil,
whereas the thermal foggers used 40 or 80
gallons/hour.
Also, the thermal foggers were dangerous.
The burn unit fired off gasoline with a
sparkplug. A 16-horsepower engine turned the
blower and pump. The thermal fog nozzle was
nearly “superheated” – cherry red when not
spraying.
The fog was so dense that the front end of the
vehicle would disappear. And the oily
pesticide spray smeared windshields. Both
things contributed to accidents. One of the
most famous involved actress Jane Mansfield.
Occasionally the thermal foggers threw
fireballs. This could happen any time during
the night of spraying, not just at startup.
(Think kids chasing the trucks.)
How
does the fog machine serve as a metaphor?
The metaphor is a compound one. Not just “fog” –
confusing, mysterious, obstructive. Not simply a
“machine” – rhythmic, controlled, organized. But
a “fog machine” – poisonous, seductive,
pervasive, deadly, distorting, relentless.
I relate the metaphor to
the mission statement of the William Winter
Institute for Racial Reconciliation which
describes prejudice as “systemic and
institutionalized.”
While her friends turned the rope, Joan
jumped and jumped, not noticing the fog
that crept up the street, overpowering the
sweetness of the azaleas in Sally Ann’s
yard. Only when Cindy suddenly stopped
looping the rope did Joan hear the old
truck clanking down the street on its
mosquito-control mission. She turned to
see the lumbering white pickup with the
machine bolted to its bed. The nozzle
burned red-hot and belched thick clouds of
insecticide.
“It’s the fog machine, y’all. C’mon!”
Cindy yelled.
Like mice after a piper, the girls threw
down the rope to trail the billowy stream.
They chased it, fading in and out of view
whenever a slight breeze took the fog in
unexpected directions.
Joan ran with them, as if she were riding
one of the thick white clouds that skidded
across the sky, delighting in the feel of
being inside.
But then C.J. had to ruin it all. “We’re
losing the light, Joan,” she called. “It’s
best we head on back now.”
Joan turned to go, but one of the girls
bumped into her. What if it was Cindy? She
couldn’t just run on back, not after Cindy
had already made her feel like a baby
because C.J. had tagged along. So she ran
on with her friends, until the truck
rounded the corner and left their street.
Only then did she emerge from the cloud,
walking backwards toward home.
“Goodbye,” Sally Ann called to Joan. “It
sure was fun using my new jump rope!”
Joan waved, and as she finally followed
C.J. and Andy, she was glad for the
falling darkness that hid the slight flush
on her cheeks. Embarrassment was all it
was, she told herself, though she knew it
was more. Satisfaction suffused with
shame, over learning what to do to fit in
with her friends. And as much as C.J.
knew, that was something she would never
understand.
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Fog Machines
Fog machines are a relic of my childhood – those
long, hot summer nights in Mississippi in the
sixties. Follow these bookmarks to learn more
about fog machines.
Source: Photo found at
http://www.pestcontrol-products.com/foggers.htm
What is the history of thermal foggers?
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