WINNIPEG - April 25, 2012 - Today, the Winnipeg Public Service announced the start of its surveillance and larviciding activities for the 2012 insect control season.
Mosquito Control Program
This season's mosquito control program will continue to be based on an environmentally conscious Insect Control Strategy.
The City of Winnipeg will continue using a balanced control approach including larviciding, biocontrols and residual treatments, and when necessary, fogging, to supplement these on-going measures.
- As in previous years, the Insect Control Branch continues to use four larviciding helicopters on contract.
- The total number of staff working at the Branch will be similar to last year, with approximately 160 staff being employed.
- Currently the Branch monitors and treats over 20,000 to 40,000 hectares of water area on an ongoing basis based on weather conditions.
- Our Geographic Information System database contains approximately 7,000 standing water listings, many of which contain multiple sites.
- Monitoring for adult nuisance mosquitoes in the New Jersey Light Traps will start first week of May this season. The trap counts and AFA will be posted daily on the website at winnipeg.ca/publicworks/insectcontrol/mosquitoes/afa.stm.
Fogging will be initiated only when the requirements of the City policy, the AFA (Adulticiding Factor Analysis) Guidelines, and the Provincial Pesticide Use Permit are met. If nuisance mosquito fogging is required, the program will be carried out in the entire city, buffer zones respected, prioritizing first for areas with highest nuisance mosquito populations. For details on the AFA factors, please refer to winnipeg.ca/publicworks/insectcontrol/default.stm.
A 24-hour public notice will be issued prior to a nuisance fogging program being implemented. Daily public notices will also be issued detailing where fogging will occur that night. Personal notification by telephone or email of the mosquito fogging programs activities is also available by contacting the Insect Control Branch in writing at 3 Grey Street, R2L 1V2, by email at 311@winnipeg.ca, by fax at 311 or by registering online at winnipeg.ca/wpgmail/subscribe_all.stm.
All Winnipeg neighbourhoods have been grouped into 51 Insect Management Areas so that as residents become familiar with their Insect Management Area, they will find it much easier to reference when their area is going to be treated. Information on all fogging and cankerworm control activities will be provided by referencing the specific Insect Management Area in which they are being carried out. These maps can be found on our website and in the MTS Yellow Pages. You can also find out the Insect Management area that you live in by calling 311.
Residents can apply for a 90 metre buffer zone in order to exempt their property during a Residential Adult Nuisance Mosquito Fogging Program. Property owners not wanting insecticides applied on or adjacent to their principle residence may register as "Anti-Pesticide Registrants" for both cankerworm and/or adult nuisance mosquito control programs.
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, Manitoba Hydro, MTS or other utility bill will suffice as acceptable identification proving primary residence.
There are four different options to register. In writing to Insect Control Branch at 3 Grey Street, R2L 1V2, by faxing or e-mailing 311 at 311@winnipeg.ca, or in person at 1539 Waverley Street. As a minimum 72-hour turnaround time is required for processing, residents are reminded to begin registering now for the 2012 season, in the event that cankerworm control or mosquito fogging is required.
PLEASE HELP FIGHT THE BITE!
The City is strongly encouraging property owners to also help "Fight the Bite" as approximately 50 per cent of standing water sites are located on private property.
Homeowners can take one of 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
Cankerworm Control Program
Areas in the city are likely to start experiencing defoliation towards the beginning of May. The deciduous trees in Winnipeg are already in leaf and the cankerworms will be hatching.
Based on fall tree band monitoring and spring band monitoring, the Insect Control Branch expects the city-wide damage to be minimal except on some localized streets where major defoliation may occur due to the cankerworm larvae feeding on the foliage of the trees. Due to the mild winter we have experienced, there is a greater likelihood of survival and therefore potential for an increase in cankerworm populations.
Many Winnipeggers banded their trees last fall and spring and this will certainly help to lessen the cankerworm population. Areas of the city which have been extensively banded should experience less defoliation than areas where banding was less prevalent.
It is too late to carry out any further banding of your trees this spring as the vast majority of wingless female moths have already climbed the tree and laid their eggs in the crown. The banding of trees needs to occur before the first significant thaw to control spring cankerworm populations. Please remember to remove the bands after the May long weekend and put new sticky bands up in early September to control the fall cankerworm.
Personal notification by telephone or email of the cankerworm programs activities is also available by contacting the Insect Control Branch in writing at 3 Grey Street, R2L 1V2, by email at 311@winnipeg.ca, by fax at 311 or by registering online at winnipeg.ca/wpgmail/pw/pw_icb_subscribe.stm.
Various Monitoring Programs
Coordinating with the Urban Forestry Branch, the Insect Control Branch monitoring for Emerald Ash Borer will continue in 2012. We are also monitoring for Black Legged Ticks.
Interested individuals may acquire more information by contacting 311 or by visiting the City's insect control website at winnipeg.ca/publicworks/insectcontrol/default.stm.