Lethbridge’s Mosquito Technician has been busy the past few weeks treating standing water on lakes and ponds around the city.
We’ve seen some fairly wet weather the past while, over 50 mm for the month of June in Lethbridge alone, and that’s kept Ron Esau on his toes.
He says the mosquito issues here shouldn’t be as bad as the Calgary region which has experienced a great deal of flooding from several storms in recent days.
Easu is hopeful though, the mosquito concerns here will be much less by mid-July. “Now here with all this rainfall over the past week there will be a lot of areas to treat. The good news is we are already almost past the rainy season. Things should get better late into July and August.”
Esau says as we move along through summer, be cautious and protect yourself against mosquito bites. He notes once we get into the mid-summer, that’s when concerns about West Nile Virus start to surface.
“They’re (mosquitoes) often out more during those hot days and so we really ask people, as the summer goes on, to be careful. Wear long sleeves, long pants, light-coloured clothing, use repellent, and in your yards keep the grass trimmed and drain any puddles,” says Esau.
Esau says usually 7 to 10 days after rains like we’ve had is when the biting bugs will be out and about. He says places outside the city limits and in rural areas where there is taller grass and more standing water is where mosquitoes will be most active.