It's entering the peak time of summer for mosquitoes in southeast Saskatchewan, so while health officials are advising you to cover up and be aware, there are other forces out there reducing your chances of being exposed to these pesky insects.
Larry Doan of Southeast Tree Care, the company contracted to provide a consistent mosquito control program in Estevan, said that while the city has grown in size over the past year, the number of problem areas where mosquitoes might thrive, may have actually diminished due to new development and construction.
"The city's diameter has grown, but we're still covering it on a weekly schedule, visiting each of the four zones once a week with each zone getting covered twice in one week on an overlap plan," Doan said.
Right now, he said on July 4, the mosquito population count was relatively low.
"But it's on the upswing. It's low to moderate right now, but it will get higher. We'll get some larvicide prepared for the next generation because the conditions are pointing to an increase."
Doan said a lot of the standing water pools around the city earlier this year have since dried up, which will help control the mosquito population.
"There are still some hot spots like near Woodlawn Regional Park, and the low area north of the river and a big area south of Willow Park Greens near the archery club and golf course. That can be a problem area at times. On the north side of the city, it's not as bad."
Doan said his company has invested in good machinery and equipment that allows his staff to get close to the water's edge, and they can propel larvicide granules 25 to 30 feet so there is no need to get right into the pools and puddles.
"We have a good system worked out because we've been doing it for a few years now, so we learn where we need to go and when to go. We just have to watch for rain, wind and heat because they affect the process. We can play with the wind, actually use it to our advantage to propel the larvicide," Doan added.
The City of Estevan has approved the use of granular larvicide, which makes Doan happy because he feels it is a superior product and safe in terms of public protection. He feels it's better than the liquid form. It takes a bit longer to apply but provides a better residual effect.
Doan and his employees carry out regular mosquito counts as part of their contract and so far the collection process (five scoops of a mosquito/larva net per test) has resulted in a count of between eight and 12 of the troublesome insects. A count of 32 or more signals an impending problem.
"So far, we haven't seen anything outrageous. The early cool weather slowed down the multiplying factor, but they are constantly breeding new generations," said Doan.
The particularly dreaded Culix tarsalis mosquitoes have been sighted and caught in the local traps, although no traps have been set specifically to count them in this area.
"We don't do any particular mosquito species count, but Culix tarsalis are unique, and we can identify them fairly easy if you know what to look for," said Doan. Whether any of the local Culex tarsalis are infected with the troublesome West Nile virus is something for the health officials to determine. So far there have been no reported cases of infected animals or humans.
Doan said the larvicide program will continue throughout the summer. On occasion the neighbouring RM of Estevan has called upon the company to provide some protection on their properties too, which helps overlap and provide more efficiency to the program already scheduled in the city.
"The City has been very good in terms of letting us schedule a program through spring, summer and fall and providing a budget for it. And we've been doing it long enough now we're able to modify our equipment to maximize efficiency and cover the city," said Doan.
But never kid yourself. Nobody and no service will ever be able to eradicate the mosquito population completely, but it's nice to see that once in awhile, a few of the battles with them, are won.
