The City of Kingston is in the second round of a pilot project, testing out a smelly solution to deter ticks and mosquitoes.
Last year, Kingston’s public works department sprayed garlic repellent in Grass Creek Park and along Centennial Drive between Crossfield Avenue and Atkinson Street.
The project continues this year in Grass Creek Park and Rotary Park, because both have popular dog parks, and again on Centennial Drive between Crossfield Avenue and Atkinson Street, to hopefully keep geese, who don’t like the taste of garlic on the grass they eat, from crossing the street.
Get daily National news
The spray is 100 per cent natural, and is not harmful to the environment, humans or pets, but the smell is irritating to ticks and mosquitoes — which, according to the city, have much stronger senses of smell than humans.
WATCH: How ticks have spread across Ontario
The spray will be applied every three to four weeks throughout the spring, summer and fall.
City staff will be using the information gathered during this test run as well as last year’s to see if they will recommend the expanded use of repellent to other locations in the city.
When asked if they had seen any difference in 2018 when the garlic repellent was first used, the city’s public works department said the program “warranted an extension into 2019,” and that it “noticeably kept the geese away on Centennial Drive.”
Comments