City of Regina commences mosquito program

REGINA – The City of Regina kicked off its 2014 Nuisance Mosquito Control Program Thursday morning – an initiative which costs taxpayers half a million dollars annually and employs 20 full-time staff.

“What we’re seeing is conditions are perfect for the emergence of adult mosquitos,” said Ray Morgan, Forestry, Pest Control and Horticulture Manager at the City of Regina. Morgan explained that crew members have been surveying the approximately one thousand bodies of water they patrol in and around Regina for mosquito larvae.

“If we get an average of one inch of rain every week and if we get the heat that comes with it – the average temperatures, populations are going to increase, there’s no question. But if we keep (seeing) cooler temperatures, it gives us a little bit more of an advantage to get out there and treat more water bodies before the mosquitos emerge. It’s certainly getting ahead of the game,” he said.

Crews have now begun spraying water bodies with Vectobac, a naturally-occurring product which Morgan says is a safe chemical that does not affect benefical insects, like dragonflies.