The Town of Battleford is scheduled to fog for mosquitoes on August 4. (ID 11660379 © Ivanov Arkady | Dreamstime.com)

By Josh Ryan

Mosquito purge

Municipalities look to fogging to curb mosquito problem

Jul 29, 2020 | 5:31 PM

Enjoying the outdoors has proven less comfortable this summer than most Saskatchewan residents would like, thanks to heavy rain and a swarm of mosquito bites. Now, some communities are looking to curb the latter.

Next week, the Town of Battleford will join areas like Shaunovan and Swift Current in fogging for mosquitoes. The large scale spray operation is scheduled for the evening of August 4. Mayor Ames Leslie said they’d heard enough from residents, frustrated with being unable to go outside without an excess of mosquitoes after the lockdown in the spring, to go forward with the decision.

“We have such a short summer, so it’s pleasant to be able to sit out or walk outside without fighting the mosquitoes, Leslie said.

Should weather conditions not be suitable, such as the wind picking up past two kilometres per hour, or the temperature being below 13 degrees, the town will reschedule. In order to maximize the remainder of the summer, Leslie said a two-prong approach is being taken by knocking out as many of the insects as possible right now, while being proactive in treating standing water moving forward.

“Our admin team and our fire department had done some extensive research on the effects of doing this, this efficacy of doing it,” he said. “And we’re going to do the initial shot and treat the larva side as well.

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“Hopefully in a week, 10 days’ time, people can go outside with minimal annoyance from our flying friends.”

Some residents expressed concern regarding the effects the spray could have on other aspects, animals and individuals in the community. However, Leslie insisted the admin team had done its research in choosing Deltagard 20EW as the spray that will be used for the fogging.

“There’s no residual from this product, so it’s not going to sit on the trees for days,” he said. “It’s low drift, and it’s not going to drift from my yard to your yard.”

The fogging in Battleford is scheduled for approximately 10 p.m. on Tuesday. To reduce exposure during fogging, advised steps include staying indoors during the process and for at least one hour after, as well as closing windows, turning off AC units, covering swimming pools and keeping pets indoors. After fogging is complete, it’s recommended you wash all outdoor toys and garden vegetables. Battleford residents wanting to opt out of fogging must do so before 5 p.m. that day.

Other steps are being taken to account for residents and other insects, including advice from communities in Manitoba to spray in the evening. Fogging in the evening with cooler temperatures should avoid both public inconvenience and keep the target squarely on mosquitoes, instead of impacting the populations of other insects.

“When those bees, dragonflies, butterflies, all those healthy bugs, aren’t as active,” Leslie said. “And you’ll definitely reduce the amount of casualties that are affected by spraying and controlling the mosquitoes.”

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josh.ryan@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JoshRyanSports