Update on Insect Control Branch programs

Released: June 17, 2014 at 12:30 p.m.

Winnipeg, MB - Today, the Winnipeg Public Service provided an update on insect control activities.

Nuisance Mosquito Control Program

The Public Work’s Department’s Insect Control Branch continues an aggressive larviciding program and is asking Winnipeggers to help “Fight the Bite” by eliminating any standing water on their property, as approximately 50 per cent of standing water sites are located on private property. Homeowners can take the following steps to eliminate standing water on their properties:

  • Dump It! - containers
  • Drain It! - eavestroughing or unused containers
  • Cover It! - rain water collection containers
  • Fill It! - low-lying areas
  • Treat It! - biological larvicide

Winnipeg received significant rainfall over the weekend; in some parts of the City, the accumulation was equivalent to the average rainfall normally received for the entire month of June. The second generation of summer nuisance mosquitoes began to hatch in the numerous water bodies in and around Winnipeg.

The Insect Control Branch will continue using all resources, which include approximately 160 staff and four helicopters, to check and treat approximately 30,000 hectares of potential larval development sites in Winnipeg and the surrounding 10 kilometre treatment area. The Superintendent of Insect Control is monitoring conditions on a daily basis, and is ready to implement the range of control measures available as nuisance activity and environmental conditions vary.

Adulticiding Factor Analysis

Today, June 17, 2014, the City-wide New Jersey Light Trap count is 9. The Adulticiding Factor Analysis (AFA) rating is MEDIUM.

With an AFA of MEDIUM, the Insect Control Branch continues to larvicide and utilize residual treatments where there are localized emergences of adult mosquito populations on City of Winnipeg property such as parks, cemeteries and rights-of-way. Residual permethrin treatments, an environmentally friendly product made from the chrysanthemum flower, will be applied directly to localized areas of long grass, bushes and shrubs where adult mosquitoes rest during the day.

General Information

Property owners not wanting insecticides applied on or adjacent to their principal residence may register as “Anti-Pesticide Registrants” in the event an adult nuisance mosquito control program is required. Those who wish to register must provide identification that ties the registrant to the address being registered for a buffer zone. A photocopy or scanned document like a driver’s licence or utility bill will suffice as acceptable identification proving primary residence.

There are four different options to register:

Personal notification by telephone and/or email is also available by:

For more information, please contact 311, open 24 hours every day by phone at 311 or by email at 311@winnipeg.ca, or visit the City’s Insect Control website.

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