With summer on the horizon and Brandon and area having finally gotten a fair amount of rain over the past week, the topic of mosquitos is once again coming to the forefront even if the wee vampires havent been seen in large numbers to-date.
The City of Brandon maintains a Mosquito Abatement Program where best efforts are made in conjunction with Brandon University students to manage the population of the insect primarily with larval control methods. Should the population however rise uncomfortably as it often does in our part of the country, the City may fog for what are referred to as nuissance mosquitos in one of three circumstances:
- the city’s Adulticiding Factor Analysis Guidelines value results in and stays at a value of “high” for two straight trap counts
- the average of any daily trap count exceeds 1,000
- any individual trap count exceeds 2,000
When spraying, the City uses a product called DeltaGard 20EW rather than the malathion of days gone by. More information on that product and the city’s mosquito control program can be found at this link.
For those wishing to exclude themselves and an area within 90 metres of their property from fogging, the City sent out a notice this morning advising that residents may now register their property for a buffer zone. In the notice a buffer zone is said to be defined as “an area of 90 metres on either side of their property in the front street, side street and rear lane.”
Applications must be made in person or in writing with more information at this link.
Its said that the buffer zone applies to spraying for nuisance mosquitos only and would not apply in the event the Province of Manitoba issues a health order to spray in connection with West Nile Virus.