Attack of the cankerworms: Regina spraying pesky tree-eating insects

There was a lot of complaining in Regina over the long weekend about the appetite of insects.

Tent caterpillars and cankerworms arrived a bit earlier and are eating their way through the leaves on the city's trees. 

Today, City of Regina crews were out spraying after getting a lot of calls about the insect infestation. They normally starts spraying cankerworms around this time anyway.

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The city said cankerworms prefer to feed on elm, maple, and fruit trees, whereas tent caterpillars prefer green ash, poplar, and fruit trees.

Russell Eirich, pest control manager for the city, said the spray is a safe organic pesticide product, calling it the least toxic product available to use.

"We spray this product onto the leaves of the tree. As these caterpillars and cankerworms feed on the tree, they ingest it," he said. "There's a protein in it that does some stuff to its guts. They die a few days later."

The city said it plans to initially spray around 1,500 trees in the North Central area of the city. Crews will then spray about 1,000 trees in Harbour Landing and the Creeks for tent caterpillars.

Depending on the weather, crews will be spraying in the city for about two weeks.

You can find more information on the city's cankerworm control program, including a schedule, here.