A new campaign has been hatched by the City of Winnipeg to tackle the issue of standing water on private property in an effort to curb the mosquito population.
The Standing Water Action Team (S.W.A.T.) is recruiting “agents,” or members of the public, to encourage property owners to actively drain, dump or cover water-filled containers to reduce the number of mosquitoes hatching.
“Standing water is the ideal environment for the development of Winnipeg’s mosquito larvae and a single birdbath filled with standing water can generate as many as 1,000 adult nuisance mosquitoes,” said Ken Nawolsky, superintendent of insect control.
“Fifty percent of Winnipeg’s mosquito population comes from standing water on private property, so everyone needs to do their part.”
Nawolsky says by encouraging homeowners to drain, dump or cover standing water in their yard from May until August, all Winnipeggers will benefit by reducing the overall adult mosquito population.
“We can make a genuine difference.”
As of May 20, the city-wide mosquito trap count average was 1 and the AFA level was low.
