The City of Estevan is reminding the public to take necessary precautions to reduce the number of mosquitoes.
According to a news release from the city, the recent heavy rains and warm temperatures resulted in perfect conditions for a boom in the mosquito population. Until recently, the Estevan area was fortunate with very low mosquito activity; however, with the recent rains, vast areas provincially are now experiencing spikes in numbers.
“In Estevan we are currently enduring low numbers of two nuisance species of this pest (Aedes vexans and Ades dorsalis),” the city said. “Although we have control measures for the larvae around the city, these species can fly up to 20 km in favorable conditions. There is an estimated 268,000 square kilometres of potential mosquito habitat in Saskatchewan; it is not possible to eliminate them all.”
Fogging is not a viable option, the city said, as most cities have moved away from that procedure.
The only time Estevan will fog is under the direction of the Ministry of Health and this would be in response to a health-related matter, such as an outbreak of west Nile virus.
“Fogging is very expensive and lasts, at times, only four to six hours before new mosquitoes move in to take over the vacated habitat.”
The city asks people to wear repellent; try to avoid being outdoors at dawn and dusk, which are high activity times; wear light colored, loose-fitting clothing; have screens on windows; and diligently eliminate any water sources on a property, as they are major sources of breeding grounds which are outside the scope of the city’s larvicide program.
The city’s approach to mosquito control consists of three phases, with public information campaigns describing the city program and providing advice for property owners in controlling mosquito populations; monitoring and controlling larval populations; and monitoring adult populations in partnership with the Ministry of Health.
