City Conducts Mosquito Treatment at Hawrelak Park

August 03, 2012

The City of Edmonton has conducted spot treatments for adult mosquitoes at Hawrelak Park. 

Treatment was done at 5am on Friday August 3, 2012 around the perimeter of the park and in vegetation that can harbour mosquitoes, in an effort to reduce their numbers.

City crews continue to survey standing pools of water in and around Edmonton.  In addition, light traps throughout the City are monitored to identify general mosquito population trends. A focus will be Gallagher Park where  Folk Festival begins at Gallagher Park on August 9, 2012. Treatment for adult mosquitoes will take place if appropriate.

“Although we can never eliminate all of the mosquitoes, we should see a reduction in numbers around Hawrelak Park this weekend,” said Mike Jenkins, biological sciences technicians for the City. “Overall, our traps are showing that we’re seeing half as many mosquitoes as last year.” 

Throughout this season, the City of Edmonton has focused on reducing mosquito populations at the larval stage, before they emerge as adults.  Crews targeted bodies of standing water where mosquito larvae were found in higher concentrations,  including roadside ditches and non-permanent pools of water.

The campaign to control mosquito larvae has been conducted when necessary with helicopter and ground-based crews following rainfall activity.  To date, ground and aerial crews have completed four campaigns, covering all areas where the City has received permission to treat standing water.

“The traps outside of the City are capturing 8 to 10 times more than the traps inside the City which suggests our program has had an effect,” said Jenkins.

The City of Edmonton is one of the few major cities in Canada to have a mosquito control program. 

All products used for the City's mosquito control program are approved by Health Canada and deemed safe for their intended use. City mosquito control staff are certified by Alberta Environment and meet stringent standards for the application of mosquito control products.

For more information on pest management and tips on how you can protect yourself from mosquitoes, visit www.edmonton.ca/mosquito.

For more information:

Chrystal Coleman

Corporate Communications

Title Communications Officer
Telephone 780-868-7176
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