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Saskatoon pest control crews begin mosquito spraying

May 11, 2014 | 4:11 PM

By Kurtis Doering

paNOW staff

The city of Saskatoon has renewed its biological foray against mosquito populations.

Since the beginning of May, pest control crews have been spraying their biological larvacide on standing water in and around the city.

Though its too early to predict how many mosquitos we'll see over the summer months, pest management supervisor Jeff Boone said a good Spring melt will keep early adult populations down.

“Some mosquitos that do really well in snow melt pools, there won't be as many of those particular species this year,” Boone said.

“We haven't seen a lot of the adult mosquitos yet,” he added. “We're still in sort of the front edge of it, but it's still a really important time for our staff to be working, applying the product, and reducing the number of larva that are out there.”

How many mosquitos the city ends up with will depend on the amount of rain we get this Spring, Boone said.

“When we know the story about the amount of standing water we'll have this year, that will tell us the story about the mosquito populations,” he said.

The types of mosquitos which can carry the West Nile Virus typically pop up in July or August. Boone said those types are resident here, but their populations vary wildly year to year.

“It requires sort of stable temperature conditions and heat through the summer,” he said.

Homeowners can help reduce the spaces that mosquito larva can survive by removing standing water from their property. Anywhere that water can stand for four days or more, such as in children's toys, eaves troughs and rain barrels, can serve as a breeding ground for mosquitos.

kdoering@rawlco.com

Twitter: @KDnewsguy