City’s residential fogging program to control nuisance mosquitoes continues

WINNIPEG - July 19, 2004 - Due to the high number of nuisance mosquitoes within the City of Winnipeg and the expectation that these numbers will remain high over the next few weeks, the Insect Control Branch will continue its residential fogging program weather permitting Monday night July 19, 2004/Tuesday morning July 20, 2004.

The City of Winnipeg continues to use a range of mosquito control strategies including an aggressive ongoing larviciding program, the community-based mosquito reduction program TEAAM (Targeted Environmental Action Against Mosquitoes), and adulticiding.

Rob Anderson, University of Winnipeg Entomologist states, “An integrated mosquito control strategy that includes public education, source reduction, larviciding, and adulticiding are ALL necessary components of an effective mosquito control program.”

In September 2003, Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) “completed its re-evaluation of public health uses of Malathion and found it to continue to be acceptable for use in controlling adult mosquitoes.”[1] The PMRA has concluded “that the use of malathion and associated end-use products as an adulticide in mosquito abatement programs does not entail an unacceptable risk of harm to human health or the environment pursuant to Section 20 of the PCP Regulations.” [2]

Until further notice, fogging will continue on a daily basis between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Fogging will not occur if there is a significant rainfall, if wind speeds are greater than 10 km/h or temperatures are below 12 degrees Celsius.

All buffer zones will be respected. Crews will ensure that the insecticide sprayer is turned off 100 meters on each side of a registered property on the front street, side street, and rear lane. At this time residents who wish to have their properties excluded from the adulticiding program can register their objections in writing to the Insect Control Branch at 3 Grey Street, Winnipeg, MB, R2L 1V2. Please allow up to three days for processing.

In addition, the Insect Control Branch has implemented an automated telephone and email notification system. Once registered, the applicant receives daily phone or email notification during any and all fogging for adult mosquito control. To register, please call the Bugline at 311.

Crews will be fogging in the following areas:
Charleswood, Tuxedo, River Heights, Lindenwoods and Whyte Ridge

The boundaries for these areas include:
-From West side of the Perimeter Hwy. East to Cambridge St. /Waverley St.
-From South side of the Assiniboine River south to Four Mile Rd./Finkelstein Rd./Mc Gillivray Blvd.

Citizens are encouraged to visit the City’s Web site at http://winnipeg.ca/cms/bugline/ or call the Bugline at 311 daily to find out the areas of the City in which that day’s fogging is intended.