How Brandon’s mosquito fogging works

THINGS TO KNOW

The City of Brandon will be fogging for mosquitoes tonight and Thursday evening using a new type of insecticide.

Here are some quick facts about the insecticide and the city’s mosquito fogging program:

• Mosquito fogging is initiated when mosquito trap counts are in the “high” range for two consecutive days, when counts average more than 1,000 mosquitoes over two days or when a single trap has more than 2,000 mosquitoes.

• The trap count of 3,488 mosquitoes from the Civic Services Complex last Sunday is the highest recorded in Brandon since the traps were installed.

• The city has five mosquito trap locations: at the municipal parks office, in the Riverheights neighbourhood, at 12th Street East, at the Civic Services Complex and at the municipal cemetery. The 12th Street East trap used to be located at Brandon University.

• Brandon’s traps use CO2 to attract mosquitoes into them.

• The City of Brandon’s new insecticide is called DeltaGuard 20EW, which is also used by the City of Winnipeg for its mosquito fogging. It replaces malathion, which was deemed by the World Health Organization to be “probably carcinogenic.” The city says the new program is not harmful to humans, plants or other creatures and insects.

• Though the insecticide is deemed safe, the city advises that residents stay inside during fogging, bring laundry, toys and pets inside, cover swimming pools, turning off air conditioners, close vents, windows and doors and to rinse play equipment before children use them again.

• Fogging will occur after 10 p.m. tonight and Thursday as that is when mosquitoes are most active. All areas north of Victoria Avenue will be fogged this evening and then all areas south of Victoria Avenue will be fogged the following night, as long as weather permits.

• Fogging cannot occur if there is a wind stronger than 16 kilometres per hour or in temperatures lower than 13 C. However, the City of Winnipeg has told Brandon that the best results are achieved when the temperature is at least 20 degrees Celcius. The City of Brandon has set its own temperature threshold of 15 degrees Celcius for the process this week.

• Residents concerned about fogging can apply for a 90-metre buffer zone around their home. To apply for a buffer zone, residents must download and fill out a form from the city’s website and send it back with a name, address, telephone number and proof of occupancy. Applications can be faxed to 204-726-4257 or emailed to parks@brandon.ca. The deadline for this week’s fogging is today at noon.

• Not sure if you’re in a buffer zone? By calling parks services during regular business hours, a resident can provide their address and get a yes or no answer as to whether they’re in a buffer zone. Residents have to renew buffer zones every year.

• In addition to fogging, the city is going to increase its efforts to apply larvicide to bodies of standing water and will have four staff monitoring the situation for the rest of the summer. Residents are encouraged to help out by dumping out water containers, drain eavestroughing and covering rainwater collection containers. The larvicide used is a product called Aquabac.

» The Brandon Sun