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Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

City continues aggressive assault on 'skeeters

By: Staff Writer

3/07/2009 3:01 PM | Comments: 6

WINNIPEG — An aggressive larviciding campaign and cooler temperatures should offset weather conditions that could have created Winnipeg’s worst mosquito season since 2005, city officials said today.

City entomologist Taz Stuart said record spring rainfall has saturated the ground and left temporary pools of standing water — a scenario similar to that of spring 2005, when Winnipeg endured its worst mosquito season.

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However, Stuart said the larviciding campaign has kept the number of nuisance mosquitoes to a minimum, adding it’s hoped that there will not be a repeat of 2005.

Stuart said he’s been told the mosquito situation is better in Winnipeg than in neighbouring communities, a scenario which he attributes to Winnipeg’s aggressive larviciding efforts.

The majority of monitored standing water sites have moderate to high levels of mosquito larvae, he said, adding that city crews have been attacking them 16-hours a day, seven days a week.

 

To date, skeeter trap counts have been low, with less than five bugs per trap found on average.

The city reminds property owners to eliminate standing water on their properties by dumping water from containers, draining eavestroughs and covering rainwater collection containers to help reduce mosquito breeding areas.

On the cankerworm front, Stuart said the worms have reached larval maturity and will no longer be a threat to trees. The Insect Control Branch has concluded its cankerworm control program for the season.

Stuart encouraged Winnipeggers to take down tree bands now, but replace them this fall to minimize next year’s population of cankerworms.

For information on tree banding please contact 311, or visit the city’s Insect Control website at www.winnipeg.ca/bugline.

 

History

Updated on Friday, July 3, 2009 at 3:02 PM CDT:
Rewritten.

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6 Commentscomment icon

The city has NOT initiated any spraying yet this year. I hope the truck that you saw drive by ran over a lot of the blood suckers. :)

Hey formerwpg. I've only seen a few this year. Big deal.

Ah the trucks just drove by. So long blood suckers.

In severe cases, I think the city should seriously investigate covering the city from the air like Grand Forks as opposed to our ineffective placebo technique of spraying the city section by section over 2 or 3 nights. This makes most people feel better but it doesn't actually work at all.

Over the last couple of summers I have monitored the trap counts of the areas of the city being sprayed and there is very little difference in trap counts between the areas being sprayed and those that haven't. By the time the whole city has been sprayed, there is no drop that can be attributed to the spraying.

For some strange reason, the mosquitos don't stay in their neighbourhood. Go figure.

Of course I am concerned about what chemicals they would cover the city with but if we are going to spray, lets at least get our money's worth and do something that actually works. Larviciding appears to be money well spent but our current spraying is an expensive placebo.

Ha Ha! Doesn't it make you wonder why anyone actually lives in Manitoba?! I moved away to a place where there is hardly any. I think I've seen one mosquito this year. Have fun swatting!

The control has never been the same since Randy left.....

We get eaten alive before they fix the issue...I say....NUKE them from the air like they do in Grand Forks/Fargo...

Bring in the air force ;)

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