The city of Winnipeg has started its fight against mosquitoes for 2018.

Superintendent of insect control, Ken Nawolsky, says the city was able to start on its aggressive mosquito larviciding program this week, which targets mosquito larvae in open areas before they become adults.

The program includes four larviciding helicopters that monitor and treat over 28,000 hectares of water area on an ongoing basis, depending on weather conditions.

“The first mosquito larvae were found in a field on April 12th this year,” Nawolsky said. “Favourable conditions will allow the insect control branch to treat the spring standing water sites with biological larvicides in a timely manner and hopefully that will result in a low adult mosquito population in the spring.”

Nawolsky says the fall and winter of 2017 saw lower than normal levels of precipitation and that trend has continued into the spring.

Mosquito larvae in their infant stage

He adds, however, that everything is still weather dependent.

“We’re really depending on precipitation,” Nawolsky said. “So far I can forecast for the next two to three weeks that the population will be very low.”

Nawolsky says the mosquito traps will be in operation starting April 30, and the first trap count is expected on May 2.

City switches to DeltaGuard

Nawolsky also announced today that if the city does need to roll out its adult mosquito fogging program, it will be using a chemical that is better for the environment and more effective.

The city has switched from Malathion to DeltaGuard.

“At a conference recently, I spoke to people in the U.S. who use it and they’re getting 98 to 100 per cent control,” Nawolsky said. “That’s far better control than Malathion.”

Nawolsky says it costs around $165,000 to do one round of the city with DeltaGuard as opposed to $100,000 with Malathion, but the extra cost is worth being environmentally friendly and having a more accurate product.

DeltaGuard was approved by Health Canada last May, Nawolsky said. 

Larviciding in parts of Capital region reduced

In an effort to offset a reduction in larviciding funding from the province, the city says it approached a number of rural municipalities within their larviciding district about increasing their financial contribution to the program, which has remained unchanged since 2001.

Nawolsky says East St. Paul was the only RM that agreed, meaning the city will extend the larviciding program 10 km from city limits there, and only 8 km from city limits in the other areas.

He says they have left the door open to those other communities, should they want to increase their contributions in future years.

Buffer Zones and reducing standing water

The city says property owners who don’t want DeltaGuard applied to their property or property adjacent to their residence can apply for a buffer zone by writing the Insect Control Branch, emailing or faxing 311 or applying in person at 1539 Waverley St.

The city is also reminding people to drain standing water on their properties, including bird baths, buckets, wheelbarrows, eavestroughs or anything that collects water.

“Standing water is the perfect place for mosquitoes to lay eggs,” Nawolsky said.

Nawolsky says notices will be given out prior to the city fogging any properties and people can sign up for automated email or telephone warnings by going to the city’s website or contacting 311.