The City of Estevan has been tracking local mosquito populations and encouraging the public to take steps to reduce mosquito breeding grounds in the city.
Parks manager Rod March said two species have been hatching lately. Both are a nuisance breed of mosquitoes, which means they are not the types that traditionally spread disease, but the city has been doing larvicide to reduce the numbers.
“If you go outside the city, you’ll see exactly how bad the mosquitoes can be,” said March. “But in the city, it’s not horrendous right now. We’re monitoring every bit of water within a kilometre of the city, and looking for larvae.”
And while some people are calling for a fog to significantly reduce the mosquito populations in Estevan, March said the city won’t take that step, unless they’re directed by the Ministry of Health.
“That would be for a vector-borne disease carrying concern, like West Nile,” said March.
Most cities are moving away from fogging because it only carries short-term benefits. It doesn’t take long before new mosquitoes hatch, and the insect numbers return to normal.
The last fog in Estevan occurred in the summer of 2007, and March noted that stemmed from an order from the Ministry of Health.
“We have 268,000 square kilometres of mosquito habitat in Saskatchewan, and you’re not going to control it all,” said March.
The city has adult mosquito monitoring stations at multiple locations in Estevan, and at this time, there aren’t any red flags regarding the numbers.
“Everything is normal. It’s just there’s a bit of a spike in the mosquito numbers, and that’s directly related to the existing weather patterns that we’re having.”
Mosquito eggs can lay dormant for years, until they receive the right amount of water. And the combination of warm, humid weather, coupled with heavy rains brought by severe thunderstorms, results in perfect conditions for eggs to hatch.
March is urging people to clean out the areas that can be a good breeding ground for mosquitoes, such as wheelbarrows, tires and others.
“What we’re doing in the city is trying to eliminate the habitat, as well as reduce the larvae, and homeowners and private land owners can do the same,” said March.
The City of Estevan has a full-time employee who typically works in another capacity, but has been monitoring the mosquito counts on a full-time basis recently. March said it allows the city to save the money from contracting out the service.
March is also urging people to take the necessary steps to protect themselves from mosquitoes. They can wear light-coloured clothing, particularly at dawn and dusk when the mosquitoes are most active, use screens for their doors and windows, and use an insect repellent.
