This summer has been – so far – largely mosquito-free, but the city’s bug boss says that blissful skeeter-free season might be about to take a turn for the worse.
Ken Nawolsky, superintendent of Winnipeg’s insect control branch, said the recent rain and heat means the city has gone from one extreme to the other, and we should be expecting an increase in the flying pests soon.
“We got anywhere between 80 and 100 mm of rain, which created a lot of standing water as a result,” Nawolsky told 680 CJOB.
“There’s a significant population of mosquitoes that are developing in the water.
“We’re busy larvaciding, trying to get to them all. People will start to notice, in the coming days, an increase… but to what degree, we still need to wait a little bit longer.”
Nawolsky said Winnipeggers can contribute to curbing the mosquito menace – while the city is tackling public areas, getting rid of standing water in your back yard can make an impact on reducing the population.
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“Please try to remove any standing water you have in backyard – any containers or other low-lying areas, because about 50 per cent of mosquitoes do develop in people’s yards and we don’t have access to them, so let’s try and all do our part.”
As of Wednesday morning, the city’s mosquito trap count was at a ‘medium’ level, with a citywide average of eight – below the threshold to initiate a residential fogging program.
WATCH: ‘Low adult mosquito population’ expected in Winnipeg this spring
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