City of Brandon schedules fogging for mosquitoes

A city of Brandon truck used for fogging mosquitoes. The truck is scheduled to go out Wednesday and Thursday, weather-permitting (CTV News Photo Cody Carter)

BRANDON -

Residents of Brandon will soon get some relief from mosquitoes.

Weather permitting, the city will be out fogging for the insects this week.

City council passed a motion at their regular meeting this past Monday to begin fogging for nuisance mosquitoes, “immediately.”

If the weather conditions are less than ideal when the spraying is set to begin, the city will reschedule that night’s fogging plan for a more suitable evening.

“There is some concern about the wind for this evening,” says Perry Roque, director of parks and recreation services for the City of Brandon. “If there’s too much wind, then there’s no point going out because it won’t have the effect we are hoping to have.”

For ideal spraying conditions, winds must not be faster than 16 km/h and temperatures must be 13 C or higher.

All areas south of Victoria Avenue and 3 kilometres past Patricia Avenue, as far west as 66th Street and as far east as 49th Street East, will be sprayed tonight.

All areas north of Victoria Ave and Sandison Road at the Brandon Municipal Airport, as far west as 66th St and as far east as 49th St E, will be sprayed on June 23.

Spraying begins at 10 p.m. on both nights.

“When the fogging is happening in your area, you should turn off your air conditioners and bring in anything you don’t want to be sprayed,” says Roque. “Make sure your windows are all closed. You’ll hear the diggers going down the street, so close up your windows and everything for the evening. And you probably won’t want to be sitting outside while they’re going and spraying down the streets.”

In place of malathion, which Health Canada has ruled as unsafe to be used for mosquito fogging, the city will be using, for the first time, an insecticide called DeltaGard 20EW. Information regarding this can be found here.

City crews will also be using larvicide and treating standing water.

“This will prevent the emergence of an adult mosquito population,” Roque says. “We do recommend that people look around their property, and if you have standing water in any kind of containers, empty those out. You would be shocked at the number of mosquitoes that can come out of a pail of water that’s sitting in your backyard.”