The battle to control the insects that pester so many Winnipeggers each year has kicked off.
The City of Winnipeg announced on Friday morning the start of its surveillance and larviciding activities for the 2009 nuisance mosquito control season. This season’s mosquito control program will continue to be environmentally-friendly, which includes the decrease of chemicals used and increases the use of biologicals for larviciding.
Since last week, the City has been surveying standing water sites in and around Winnipeg. At this time, low larval populations of the spring species are being reported. Ground and aerial-based larviciding activities are occurring daily, weather permitting.
Approximately 160 staff will be employed this year at the Insect Control Branch, which has 4 larviciding helicopters on contract.
The City of Winnipeg will also give a 48-hour public notice prior to a nuisance fogging program being implemented. Daily public notices will also be issued detailing where fogging will occur that night. Personal notification by telephone or email of mosquito fogging program activities is also available by contacting the Insect Control Branch in writing at 3 Grey Street, R2L 1V2, by email at 311@winnipeg.ca, by fax at 311 or by registering on-line at Winnipeg.ca/bugline. Those residents wanting a buffer zone around their property can request one as usual.
Property owners are also encouraged to eliminate standing water on their properties by covering or dumping it.
Cankerworms
Besides dealing with mosquitoes, the Insect Control Branch will provide full monitoring information regarding last fall’s and the current spring adult female cankerworm moth population captured on the monitoring tree bands. The City says cankerworm counts have fallen from the peak in 2007.
— With files from a news release
