Regina pest control crews preparing for mosquito season

City pest control crews are patrolling ditches and ponds to take down mosquitoes before they’re fully grown.

The city set 14 mosquito traps at the end of April, but crews haven’t caught any yet.

“We’re seeing a very dry spring, so there’s not a lot of still water out there,” Russell Eirich, Regina’s Manager of Forestry, Horticulture, and Pest Control, said. “We’re still also seeing the effects of last year’s drought. The over-wintering mosquitoes just didn’t make it through.”

Rain showers and summer storms will likely bring water back to normal levels, and with that, comes mosquito activity.

For now, pest control crews are spreading Vectobac, an organic based, kernel-like substance that will kill mosquito larvae when they feed on it, but will not affect other insects or animals. Eirich says dragonfly larvae can often be found near mosquito larvae. Dragonflies can take much longer to develop into adults, and feed on mosquitoes.

Crews are targeting bodies of still water around the city, big or small.

“As small as ten square metres, they will try to treat those water bodies,” Eirich added. “The other ones that are smaller, let’s say you had paint cans left over in your yard from last year, it’s more about drainage. just get it to drain away.”

Residents are also encouraged to keep their grass short and monitor places where water can pool to deter the pests.