The City of Lethbridge is working to swat away mosquitoes.
Nelson Houle, pest management foreperson for the Parks and Cemeteries department, said recent rainfall and warmer temperatures mean residents can expect to hear the buzz of mosquitoes when they are out in the community.
“It’s really weather dependent,” Houle said, regarding increases in mosquito populations.
“When we were getting a lot of rain before, it wasn’t really hot enough to make those populations skyrocket, but what it did is it created a lot of temporary pools that create breeding grounds for mosquitoes.”
Houle explained that standing water is the ideal breeding ground for the insect.
To mitigate the population, Houle explained that staff survey areas with standing water and use a larvicide when mosquito larvae are present.
“We use a larvicide that is target-specific to the larvae of a mosquito. It’s really safe for humans, pets, fish, birds [and] targets mosquito larvae in that stage,” he said.
“There’s a lot more standing water we find on the outliers of the city.”
Houle said a mosquito technician will use a ‘dipper’ in the pools of water to see if there are any larvae present. If there is, the larvicide is used.
He explained that it is ingested by the insect and the alkaline within the larvae reacts with the larvicide to break down their stomach linings, which kills them.
Houle said larvae will generally appear two to four days after a rainfall, and the seven-to-10-day period is the best time to use the larvicide.
HOW RESIDENTS CAN HELP
Houle explained that the City can only do this work on public land, but there are ways residents can help mitigate the mosquito population.
“It’s important that people on their own private property do what they can to take care of standing water and make sure there’s good drainage on their own properties,” he stated, adding that keeping gutters clean and grass trimmed can help as well.
“High grass tends to make a good shelter for mosquitoes.”
Houle adds that getting a cover for rain barrels can also help and ensuring children’s toys are brought inside or dried off if they are left outside.
“Even your kids’ toys. Sometimes, if they’re left outside and it’s raining, those can create breeding zones for mosquitoes,” he said.
“Mosquitoes like water. They start breeding in water and will rely on certain places to live on, like tall grass, but basically, they’ll stick around water.”
Houle said that currently, the mosquito population in Lethbridge is “about average”, but that could increase with more rain and heat.
