Summer’s officially here, and while Winnipeg may not be living up to its reputation as a mosquito hotspot so far, that doesn’t mean you should let your guard down.
Taz Stuart with Poulin’s Pest Control told 680 CJOB the last three summers were relatively bug-free, and this year is looking similar so far, but Winnipeggers should remain vigilant.
“We’ve had three very good years in a row… but that’s where we don’t want people to get complacent and go, ‘hey, I don’t have to worry about any mosquito bites.’
“This kind of weather and conditions, for Culex mosquitoes, is their preferred type.
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Stuart said Poulin’s has a number of traps across the city, but the mosquito count is close to zero — similar to the numbers at the City of Winnipeg, where he once worked as an entomologist.
“Our numbers are almost non-existent right now, and I fully expect them to stay like that for weeks — unless we get some major precipitation occurring.”
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The City’s nuisance mosquito trap counts are sitting at an average of four mosquitoes across the city, which means — at present — there’s no need for a residential fogging program so far.
Stuart also said Winnipeg’s worm season looks to be wrapping up — and has included fewer forest tent caterpillars this year.
And if you’ve been concerned about the so-called “murder hornets” that have been spotted in the northwestern United States, Stuart said it’s unlikely Manitobans have anything to worry about when it comes to the giant insects.
“I can’t see them surviving the winters here in Manitoba,” he said.
“They are so large, and they live in the ground. Our ground freezes quite deeply, unlike in B.C. or in Washington state.”
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