Weâve had a pretty good run with mosquitoes or the lack thereof over the last couple years, but anyone thatâs spent any length of time in Westman knows thatâs the exception moreso than the rule when it comes to the population of the infamous pest during an average summer.
With a clear preference to avoid fogging if at all possible, initiatives have ramped up locally in recent years that may help keep the amount of mosquitoes in the city at a comfortable level for citizens.
Most recently a pilot project has been launched with the aim of attracting bats, a known high consumer of insects including mosquitoes, to the city. As part of the project the city earlier this week advertised that a bat house building workshop would be held at a local home improvement store next weekend with a maximum 24 registrations accepted. In a sign of overwhelming demand, by the next day all 24 of those spots had been snapped up with the promise of a future workshop to help meet additional demand:
Bats have seen their numbers greatly reduced in recent years with an estimated 5.7 million having fallen victim in North America to a disease known as White-nose syndrome. In addition to the hope for added help in the battle against mosquitoes, the presence of bat houses is also said to be important in combating the problem of natural habitats disappearing.
Brandon isnât the only region in Westman to take the proactive step of installing bat houses. In 2016 ten houses were placed at various sites in Wasagaming, some said to be large enough to be home to up to 600 bats.
More information on the plight of bats and how one might event take their own initiative to build a house is published on the Canadian Wildlife Federation website at http://cwf-fcf.org/en/explore/bats/
Photo: Parks Canada