With over 60 millimetres of rain falling across Weyburn over the past 12 days, and warmer temperatures now in the forecast, residents may soon find themselves swatting away a familiar summer nuisance - mosquitoes.
Curtis Block, the Parks Manager for the City of Weyburn, says the city is already preparing its mosquito control measures to mitigate the looming increase in the insect population.
“The City of Weyburn is planning to perform a mosquito control program,” Block explained. “This operation includes applying a larvicide, a pesticide, to areas of standing water that is likely to accumulate, such as drainage ditches, sloughs, ponds, and large puddles. The larvicide that is used targets the mosquito early in its larval stages.”
While the larvicide application is an important first step, Block stressed that it won’t eliminate adult mosquitoes or control the population beyond city limits. He added that community members also play a vital role in managing mosquito numbers, particularly by addressing breeding grounds around their homes.
“One cup of water can breed thousands of mosquitoes,” Block said. “So it’s a good habit to go through your property and, if you have any standing water in some pails or containers, just dump them out.”
Residents are also advised to take personal protective measures, including using insect repellents containing DEET, wearing long sleeves and pants, and limiting outdoor activity during dawn and dusk, peak mosquito hours.
Unlike some larger municipalities, Weyburn does not utilize mosquito fogging practices, which were discontinued due to health concerns. “That was a past practice, and it was the use of Malathion,” Block explained. “That practice is no longer, as we know, Malathion is not good for humans either, so that practice has kind of gone away because it’s kind of a hazard to the public.”
In the meantime, with the combination of standing water and rising temperatures, residents are encouraged to take early and proactive steps to reduce mosquito encounters and the itching that comes with them.