Winnipeg to start fogging with malathion to fight mosquitoes

With the number of nuisance mosquitoes surging, the City of Winnipeg will start fogging on Thursday.

The Insect Control Branch has been battling the bug through a combination of larviciding and residual treatments, but it's no longer enough, the city said.

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The city's scale to decide whether to spray for mosquitoes moved from medium to high on Wednesday after traps in a few areas of the city swelled to more than 200. The city-wide average trap count was 37 on Monday and has increased to 140.

"Priority for adult mosquito control will be given to areas with the highest nuisance mosquito populations starting in the northwest quadrant," Ken Nawolsky, Winnipeg's superintendent of insect control, said.

The city will use malathion again. They have about 4,550 litres of the insecticide left, Nawolsky said, enough for fogging the city two and a half times. An alternative will not be available this summer, he said, adding he's confident it will last the season.

A public service announcement will be released at least eight hours before fogging, identifying the areas where fogging will occur. There will be daily fogging, weather permitting, from 9:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.

The city said crews will respect buffer zones and won't spray within 90 metres on each side of a registered property on the front street, side street, and rear lane.

Nawolsky said if the weather is on their side, the mosquito count can be significantly reduced in about a week. 

"We are hoping that with no additional rain, that we do some fogging, that we can bring it down in the seven day period," he said.

Last year, the city started fogging on June 10.