The Insect Control Branch in Winnipeg is requesting $36,500 from the Innovation Capital Fund to purchase an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drone.
According to a city report, drones have proven to be an effective tool for locating mosquito development sites in the U.S.
The UAV would be used to help identify new standing water sites and improve mosquito larviciding operations by treating more standing water sites.
The Insect Control Branch said it covers 185,000 hectares of land within Winnipeg and an additional 10 km surrounding the city.
The report said identifying new standing water sites is a labour intensive task, especially in areas that are hard to access or large in size.
Identifying new sites using a UAV would be beneficial, the Insect Control Branch said, because it’s less expensive than using ground crews, there would be a digital record, sensitive lands would be protected from footprint, employee safety would be improved and a drone can see mosquito larvae in water from 80 feet above.
A Standing Police Committee on Innovation meeting will be held on Friday where the idea will be discussed.
