The City of Brandon Parks & Recreation Services will move forward with an overnight fogging program for mosquitoes on Wednesday (July 15) and Thursday (July 16). Mosquito trap counts from this past weekend exceeded the established thresholds for proceeding with adult mosquito control.
Fogging will take place each evening as long as weather conditions are suitable. It is very important for the public to note that fogging will NOT be undertaken if it is raining, if the temperature dips below 15 degrees Celsius, or if the wind speed is in excess of 16 kilometres/hour. In the event fogging is postponed due to weather conditions, the public will be notified and fogging activity will be re-scheduled to the next suitable evening.
In terms of schedule, all areas north of Victoria Avenue (from Victoria Avenue to Sandison Road at the Brandon Municipal Airport and from 66th Street to 49th Street East) will be fogged on Wednesday. All areas south of Victoria Avenue (from Victoria Avenue to 2 miles south of Patricia Avenue and from 66th Street to 49th Street East) will be fogged on Thursday.
The insecticide to be used in this fogging program is DeltaGard 20EW. This product is approved for use by Health Canada and is a lower-risk product when compared to the product used in past years’ City of Brandon fogging program. The exposure to bees, birds, mammals, fish and plants is expected to be minimal, given the reduced application rate, timing of application, and the minimal deposits in soil, water and plants that are anticipated from this application. Residents can take the following actions to minimize exposure during a fogging program:
– Whenever possible, stay indoors during and immediately after spraying;
– Close all windows and doors. Turn off air conditioning units and close vents to circulate indoor air, before the spraying begins;
– Bring laundry, toys and pets indoors before the spraying occurs;
– Cover swimming pool surfaces when possible;
– Wash homegrown fruit and vegetables with water before cooking or eating them;
– Rinse play equipment with water after the spraying is finished.
More information about DeltaGard 20EW can be found on the City of Brandon website at https://www.brandon.ca/images/pdf/MosquitoAbatement/Mosquito_DeltaGard_Factsheet.pdf.
The provision of a 90-metre buffer zone for residents who wish to be excluded from a fogging program is regulated by the Province of Manitoba and is a condition of the City of Brandon’s annual Pesticide Use Permit. As such, the City of Brandon will be accepting applications until 12 p.m. on Wednesday from residents who wish to have a buffer zone applied to their property this week. A resident’s name, address, telephone number and proof of occupancy (drivers licence, utility bill, telephone bill, etc.) are all required for a buffer zone application to be accepted. The application form can be downloaded from the City of Brandon website, filled out and returned by email to parks@brandon.ca or by fax at 204-726-4257. Residents should be aware they need register annually if they wish to be placed on a buffer zone list for Brandon’s mosquito fogging program. This means last year’s buffer zone lists are not applicable.
More information about the buffer zone registration process can be obtained by calling City of Brandon Parks Services at 204-729-2148 during regular business hours (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). Residents wishing to determine if their property falls within an accepted buffer zone can inquire by calling the above number during the noted regular business hours. Upon presenting their address, they will receive a “Yes” or “No” answer ONLY.
Beyond this week’s fogging efforts, City of Brandon Parks & Recreation Services will double its larviciding efforts and will now have a total of four staff monitoring standing areas of water across the City and applying larvicide where necessary for the remainder of the summer season. Residents can also help reduce the impact of this year’s mosquito populations. Simple things like dumping out any containers of standing water, draining any eavestroughing, covering rain water collection containers; filling in any low-lying areas, or treating problem areas with biological larvicide can minimize the amount of mosquitoes. The annoyance of mosquitoes can also greatly be reduced by using repellants, wearing light-coloured clothing, limiting your time outside between the hours of dusk and dawn and using screened-in areas.
More information about the City of Brandon’s Mosquito Surveillance and Abatement Program can be found at https://www.brandon.ca/mosquito-abatement/mosquito-abatement-program.
