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Mosquito explosion prompts larviciding in Winnipeg

The City of Winnipeg will start larviciding Tuesday evening after mosquito counts exploded over the weekend. File / Tamara Forlanski / Global News

WINNIPEG – Mosquito numbers have rocketed and the city plans to resume its battle with the pesky critters Tuesday.

The City of Winnipeg’s mosquito traps held an average of 40 mosquitoes Monday, up from nine on Friday. The adulticiding factor was medium on Monday, the city’s insect control branch reported on its webpage, after being low on Friday. It must be high before the city will start a residential fogging program.

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READ MORE: Winnipeg running low on chemical used against mosquitoes

The larviciding program, which kills the insects while still in their larval stage by targeting mosquito breeding areas, will start at about 9:30 p.m. in the south end of the city. Long grass and bushes in parks and golf courses will be treated first. King’s Park and St. Vital Park will be done Tuesday night and Assiniboine Park will be treated Wednesday.

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The highest mosquito numbers are in the city’s southwest, where the average trap count was 71 on Monday. The most mosquitoes were found in the “southwest 6” location in the University of Manitoba area. That trap – close to Investors Group Field, where thousands of World Cup fans watched two soccer matches Monday night – held 232 mosquitoes.

READ MORE: Covered in mosquito bites? Blame your genes, study suggests

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