The City of Winnipeg announced the start of its insect-control season on Friday.

The notification period required before Malathion can be used in mosquito fogging has been reduced from 48 hours to 24 hours, said city officials.

Sixty per cent of larviciding for mosquitoes this year will also be done using biological products, said city officials.

With current conditions, however, Winnipeggers can likely expect largely mosquito-free conditions for the next while.

"For the next seven to 14 days, we're looking good," said Taz Stuart, the City of Winnipeg's entomologist.

Officials said, however, that can change when the weather warms up and flood waters recede, paving the way for a rise in mosquito numbers.

Currently, when city crews fog for mosquitoes using Malathion, they must give a 100 metre buffer zone around a house, if a homeowner has requested one. 

The city wants to cut the size of buffer zones in half, but the province has instructed the city to first carry out tests on how far Malathion can travel.

City officials are also asking homeowners to help fight mosquitoes by covering rain barrels and emptying out other outside containers gathering water, along with filling in low-lying areas.

- with a report from CTV's Nancy Carlson



- more mosquito-related information is available online on the city's website