Taking the Bite Out of Mosquitoes
July 15, 2011
City starts third round of mosquito control after recent rainfall
City of Edmonton pest controllers are finding and treating mosquito larvae in standing water from the air, by truck and on foot as the City starts a third round of mosquito control. Throughout the first and second rounds, helicopters sprayed the equivalent of over 12,000 Canadian football fields (nearly 10,000 hectares) in the Edmonton region.
In response to recent heavy rainfall, staff are again treating roadside ditches and areas where significant pools of water have collected and higher concentrations of larvae are found. This proactive approach is a safer and more environmentally-friendly control method than treating adult mosquitoes.
“Edmonton has received a significant amount of rainfall so far this summer, and, as a result, we have seen a lot of mosquitoes,” said Jeannette Wheeler, Acting Director of River Valley, Forestry and Environmental Services, Parks Branch. “This week, the City launched a third round of the mosquito control program to help address the number of larvae found in standing water.”
Mosquito counts in light traps this week have risen to 569 per trap, a significant increase over last week when there were only 30 mosquitoes per trap.
Staff are seeing the positive effects of the program, with monitoring showing less mosquito larvae in areas treated during the first two rounds of mosquito control.
Staff also monitor mosquito levels around Edmonton’s festival and outdoor event sites. Spot treating for adult mosquitoes is undertaken as required, given the suitability of the site, the potential effectiveness of the additional control and weather conditions.
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 must meet stringent standards in order to use mosquito control products.
The City’s mosquito control budget for 2011 is $900,000. As of the end of June, $540,000 has been spent on spraying. In 2010, the city spent $782,000 on spraying for mosquitoes during four rounds of treatment, which saw helicopters treat just over 5,000 hectares throughout the entire control program.
To date, the City has not detected Culex tarsalis, the mosquito species that can carry and spread West Nile virus. Control programs do not eliminate the risk of contracting West Nile virus, so residents should continue to protect themselves from mosquito bites by covering up and/or wearing mosquito repellent.
Along with tips on how to avoid mosquito bites, weekly updates about Edmonton’s mosquito population are provided every Friday at www.edmonton.ca/mosquito.
For more information:
| Online | Contact 311 Online |
|---|
| Telephone | In Edmonton: 311 Outside Edmonton: 780-442-5311 |
|---|---|
| TTY | 780-944-5555 |
| 311@edmonton.ca |
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