Winnipeggers have been enjoying a relatively bug free spring so far, but that’s about to change.
“I really like this cool weather; this is great,” said city entomologist Taz Stuart. “Most people are not happy about it, of course, but the reality is, the cooler it is, the longer it takes for these larvae to develop in the water and more chance for us to get out there and treat it.”
Mosquito season may have been delayed thanks to unseasonable cooler weather but now that it’s warming up, the city could be invaded by both spring and summer mosquitoes – at the same time.
“Those mosquitoes will also come out at the same time, so you have a strong wind, some might get blown in,” said Stuart said, “Other mosquito species will migrate in through the roadways, the ditches, through the Red River, Assiniboine, Seine.”
To prepare for this perfect storm of mosquitoes, 160 city workers are continuing with their larviciding program, checking and treating for nuisance mosquitoes in the 35,000 hectares of standing water throughout the city.
As of Thursday, the trap count was at zero, but Stuart will monitor conditions on a daily basis.
“We put sunscreen on today, but we didn’t put any bug spray on because lately I haven’t really noticed a lot,” said Crystal Michaelsen, a Winnipegger who was enjoying a picnic at Assiniboine Park Thursday. “We’ll definitely take advantage of what we can.”
Property owners are being asked to their part to control the mosquito population by dumping or covering containers of standing water and treating their properties with a biological larvicide, if necessary.
The City’s cankerworm control program also began Monday, and has so far focused on trees which are at risk of significant leaf damage in parks, cemeteries and boulevards. Elmwood Cemetery and portions of Insect Management Areas 5 have been treated with BTK, an biological product, and officials expect the program will last for almost two weeks, with daily updates on what treed areas of the city will be sprayed that night.
Homeowners are responsible for cankerworm control on their property and are also being reminded to remove tree bands from trees on their properties, since adult moths have already laid their eggs, and leaving the bands on the trees over the summer will encourage rotting on the bark.
Anyone interested in applying for a buffer zone must go to the city’s Insect Control Branch in person and provide proof of residency. So far, 200 people have registered for a buffer zone, which is fewer than normal.
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