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No plans to carry out fogging in Winnipeg

Significant increase not seen in West Nile-carrying insects

By: Katherine Dow

Posted: 08/2/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

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Mosquitoes are on the city�s radar.

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John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press Taz Stuart says the city is taking steps to reduce mosquito populations, including larviciding in high-risk areas. (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store

THERE are no current plans to fog for mosquitoes in Winnipeg, city officials have announced.

City entomologist Taz Stuart said Wednesday there has not been a significant increase of West Nile virus-infected Culex tarsalis mosquitoes within Winnipeg traps to warrant fogging.

"It would take a pretty large increase in the number of positive pools and the number of Culex mosquitoes in Winnipeg currently to potentially make a change in a health order for Winnipeg. Our numbers are significantly lower than those centres around Winnipeg, like Portage," said Stuart. "We're not at a level where there's currently justification for considering a health order to protect human health here."

The province has ordered fogging in and around Portage la Prairie after high counts of Culex tarsalis mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus were reported.

Stuart said the decision to fog is made by a provincially run committee and is based on a number of factors, including population in each trap range and the number of infected mosquitoes caught in each pool.

While emphasizing there are no current fogging plans, Stuart said the city is increasing its efforts to reduce mosquito populations. These efforts include larviciding in high-risk areas and removing containers of water and garbage along the Perimeter Highway and other locations throughout the city.

To reduce the risk of contracting West Nile, the city advises cutting down on time spent outdoors during dusk and dawn hours, wearing long-sleeved tops and long pants when outside and applying protective repellent sprays that contain DEET.

katherine.dow@freepress.mb.ca

City trap counts

(as of Aug. 1)

City-wide daily average:

Northwest quadrant average: 76

Northeast quadrant average: 14

Southwest quadrant average: 16

Southeast quadrant average: 21

Highest daily average trap counts

(as of Aug. 1)

Oak Point area: 408

Old St. Boniface area: 100

Assiniboine Park area: 52

The highest daily average trap counts appear to be found in open, grassy areas throughout the city. The Oak Point area had the highest daily average trap count in the city, while nearby traps in the Old Kildonan and Garden City areas had low daily average counts with two and zero, respectively. Old St. Boniface, which has a number of golf courses in the area, also reported a high daily average trap count while an adjacent trap in the Island Lakes area had a zero daily average trap count. A similar trend shows in the Assiniboine Park area, which has a high trap count. A neighbouring trap in the Linden Woods area had a daily average trap count of zero.

-- source: City of Winnipeg Insect Control Branch

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 2, 2012 A3

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