Portage la Prairie City Council's discussing increasing the efficiency of their mosquito control program. Community Services Chair Brent Froese presented the policy at Monday's committee meeting, noting their aiming to have their procedures down in writing, in hopes of streamlining the work. He says no major changes are coming under the policy, but they hope by putting a formal policy in place, they can better address the needs of the public. 

Brent Froese

"We've had a lot of citizens requesting extra fogging when the mosquitoes bother them. We also have some citizens who don't like the idea of malathion fogging at all. To try and balance all of this we're trying to put it down on paper to be very clear about our policy. There are a few things we can't change, the province can mandate malathion fogging with no exceptions with the risk of West Nile virus."

While their goal is to create a more effective manner of fogging for nuisance mosquitoes, Froese says they're still going to continue with their preventative measures, and ensuring the public is aware of what they can do to help prevent a growing mosquito population.

"Our main defence against mosquitoes is the earlier larviciding that we do on standing water bodies. Folks in their back yards should make sure their bird bath, or any items that may contain water such as an old swimming pool, are empty. Those areas are used by mosquitoes for breeding."

Meanwhile, a part of the policy's presentation resulted in some laughter from those attending this week's meeting. The document included the provincially recommended method for determining if fogging is needed, known as a landing count.

"There's an interesting way they test it. The province recommends a mosquito landing count. In other words, two people go out, and count the mosquitoes that land on each other by picking them and putting them in a container and counting them. It's a more accurate count than the unmonitored traps we've been using."

According to the Manitoba Government's website, the landing counts are to be conducted as follows:

"Landing counts are easy to do and require minimal gear. It is best if two people work together as a team. To avoid the risk of being bitten:

- Wear dark-coloured coveralls, high boots or rubber boots, a head net or bug hat, and thin, disposable gloves.
- Do not wear repellents, after-shaves, scented deodorants, or perfumes.
- Go to the location at dusk, selecting a grassy area, in the shade and out of the wind.
- Count the mosquitoes landing on the front of the other person over a 10-minute period.

If the mosquitoes are collected from the other person, as they land, counting is less confusing and enables the collected mosquitoes to be identified at a later time. If only one person is available, that person could simply count the number of mosquitoes landing on the front of their body over a set period of collecting time (i.e., 10-minute period). Dividing the total count by 10 will give an average count of 'x' mosquitoes per minute for that time of day and location. Usually, when the numbers exceed one mosquito per minute, they have reached a level that will not be tolerated by most people. Use of a standardized form simplifies record-keeping."

The mosquito control policy will be further discussed at Council's May 24th meeting at the PCU Centre.