Manitoba town star of insect repellent ad

Mosquitoes - the summer pest that you wish would just go away. But for one small community about an hour north of Winnipeg, the nuisance has put them on the map and caught the eye of a major bug spray brand.

Komarno, Man., is a tiny community of about 200 close-knit residents.

“The people that are in the community got the hugest hearts. You can’t beat them,” said Wes Taplin, the reeve for the RM of Rockwood, which includes Komarno.

It also happens to be the unofficial mosquito capital of the world. Even its name gives visitors an idea of what to expect. Komarno is Ukrainian for ‘full of mosquitos’.

If its name isn’t a give-away, the massive statue of a mosquito should tip visitors off.

So what better place to shoot a bug-spray commercial?

OFF! North America teamed up with local Winnipeg entomologist Taz Stuart to shoot a commercial in the small community last summer.

The company threw a big barbecue, bringing in hundreds of people from around the area.

“How a little pest like a mosquito can bring 500, 600, 700 people together in one spot and be enjoying themselves - I think it is a great thing,” Taplin said.

“All you saw was smiles. I think it is absolutely fabulous, and it is a tribute to the community.”

A tribute that has put Komarno’s residents in the spotlight.

“We’re really proud that OFF! had come to our town and do the BBQ and put us on the map,” said Mona Buchkowski, a resident who helped organize the event.

“It was all over the world that we had this statue, and everybody was having a really good time. We are really proud that this happened.”

As for how a massive company like OFF! found out about the tiny rural community?

“It actually started back in 1985 when the mosquito was built,” Taplin said.

Based on the name, a community member got the idea to build a giant mosquito statue. The community rallied behind the idea and started fundraising for the materials to build it.

One resident reached out to OFF! bug spray for some help.

“OFF! made a donation towards it, and they must have remembered that this is where the Komarno mosquito is.”

She hopes the commercial, which was released earlier this month, will attract more people to check out the giant mosquito and visit with the people who call Komarno home.

Buchkowski said, despite the name, the mosquitos aren’t too bad in the area.

She has put a guest book out for visitors to sign when they come to check out the mosquito capital of the world.

“We have tourists come from all over the world,” she said, pointing to entries in her book from as far as Ireland. “They write in the book comments that they have waited a long time to come see the statue.”

In the wake of the community’s moment in the spotlight, Buchkowski said they are working to give the giant mosquito a bit of a face lift. In the next few weeks, she said residents are bringing an artist from Winnipeg to come repaint their statue.

Taplin hopes people from Manitoba and beyond come check out Komarno.

“Don’t be afraid to come out just because a mosquito is here. You will be welcomed with open arms.”