Late snowfalls and two straight weeks of high moisture levels have created some pretty nice nesting grounds for mosquitoes in Saskatchewan.
“There is water in places now that hasn’t been wet for about five years of dry weather,” said Ryan Johnston, the supervisor of the pest control department for the City of Regina.
The City of Regina has officially begun its yearly preventative control program in hopes of limiting the mosquitoes we see in the Queen City.
“It’s a big job right now,” said Johnston. “Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, and we have had a lot of rain the last few days.”
In order to kill the mosquito larvae, city crews apply an organic product called Vectobac directly to the bodies of water.
“These eggs have been dormant for some time,” said Johnston. “Eggs can be dormant up to 10, 15 years. Large rains, big spring floods will wash into areas and those eggs that have been sitting there are hatching now that have been waiting for years potentially.”
Johnston said currently mosquitoes are not a problem, but very shortly they will be as even just a cup of water can breed hundreds of them.
“We’re not seeing a lot of numbers (of mosquitoes) right now, but in the next week or two, we are going to notice them.”
In total, Johnston said the budget for the pest control department is about $1.6 million per year. Roughly half of it is spent on mosquitoes.
In order to help prevent mosquitoes, the City of Regina is reminding people to remove any standing water from their yards and watch for it as the year goes on.
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