Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion

It didn’t take long after the first heat and rainfall of the season for mosquitoes to become a problem so the Town of Kindersley is tackling the issue early this season.

The town is taking a two-pronged approach to battling mosquitoes in response to another early-season presence by the pesky little insects. The town has been spraying the chemical malathion in green spaces throughout the community since
May 15.

Malathion is an outdoor insecticide that is applied topically and the chemical is known to be effective in eradicating both mosquitoes and ticks. Ticks have also been a concern in town in recent years. Malathion is applied by licensed staff.

Town workers are spraying malathion in all municipal green spaces including parks, ball diamonds, soccer fields, the Kindersley Community Walking Trail at the Motherwell Reservoir and Senses Unleashed Dog Park. The spraying will continue throughout the spring and summer if needed.

According to the National Pesticide Information Center at Oregon State University, malathion attacks the central nervous system of insects and it kills the insects by preventing their nervous systems from working properly.

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Malathion could have a similar effect on humans and animals if they come into contact with enough of the chemical. However, the body has the ability to break down malathion and remove the chemical quickly. People could be exposed to malathion if they ingest it, breathe it in or get it on the skin.

The Town of Kindersley is also treating bodies of standing water in town and in close proximity to town with Vectobac, a control measure that eradicates mosquitoes at the larvae stage. The town has used Vectobac regularly since 2010.

“We started early this year,” said Kim Vogel, the town’s director of transportation and environment, adding the town started to combat mosquitoes as soon as conditions were right. “The first control that we did for mosquitoes was standing water treatment.”

The Vectobac is applied to standing water in town, and then to bodies of standing water within a five-kilometre radius
of town, Vogel said. The Vectobac is applied to standing water in drainage ditches and creeks among other places, but it only kills mosquitoes before they hatch.

Vogel said the town was hoping there would be fewer mosquitoes after the first pests had hatched, but the problem quickly escalated. She said the town has responded by starting up its mosquito spraying program in green spaces.

Malathion kills adult mosquitoes, but there has to be direct contact between the chemical and mosquito. The insects like to hide in the grass, so it is why malathion is sprayed on the ground. The chemical has been sprayed in all green spaces at least once so far and signs are erected at parks after they were sprayed, Vogel said.

She noted that workers start to spray malathion at 4 a.m. to avoid people in the spaces. There is no way to completely eradicate mosquitoes, but she said the town is doing its best to help make the outdoors “a little bit more enjoyable” for people.

The town does not spray directly in residential areas, but there are ways for people to help control mosquitoes, she said. People could remove all standing water from their properties, tidy up their yards and keep the grass cut.

“Eliminate anything that’s unnecessary where any water collects and stands,” Vogel said, recognizing that standing water in rain barrels, bird baths, tires or any other items will be a breeding ground for the pests if the water is not aerated.

She added that the best way for residents to control mosquitoes is by keeping their yards as tidy as possible. The town is having a Spring Waste Extravaganza on June 9, so hours at the landfill will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be no charge for select items in addition to the extended hours.

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mosquitoes