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Mosquito season is here

Mosquito season is here

daisychain
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2898

daisychain
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2898

kirkcaldy Heights
7/26/2016 at 9:16 AM

is a mess too, that grass needs to be cut, there is a playground there and too many mosquitoes to enjoy it.
JacqPDJ
Joined: This month
Posts: 146

JacqPDJ
Joined: This month
Posts: 146

Since I'm sure folks are waiting on trap counts...
7/26/2016 at 10:34 AM

http://brandon.ca/mosquito-abatement/mosquito-abatement-program

It is HIGH. When will the fogging begin City of Brandon?
Adam

Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

Adam
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

Fogging
7/26/2016 at 11:03 AM

High but apparently no individual trap is enough to meet fogging guidelines. I respect wanting to find the right balance of not fogging unnecessarily but our portion of the city has been bad enough to effect quality of life. I'll be emailing my councillor after making this post, encouraging a revisit of criteria. If you feel the same (or even if you don't) you can find your councillors contact info at http://www.brandon.ca/council-information/wards/view-all-members
daisychain
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2898

daisychain
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2898

By the time the city decides
7/26/2016 at 11:12 AM

to spray, the summer will be over. Our area (North Hill) is very bad. We are using a variety of plants (Basil, Marigolds, Rosemary) to help repel, but they are not efficient with the amount of mosquitoes present. We use repellents and coils, but by early evening we need to come in.
JacqPDJ
Joined: This month
Posts: 146

JacqPDJ
Joined: This month
Posts: 146

Mosquito Fogging
7/26/2016 at 11:14 AM

Require 2 consecutive trap counts at high as well as other conditions met. By the time they figure that out summer will be over. West Nile usually starts becoming an issue mid to late August so you would think they would want to be preventative now!
Mamabear2
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 130

Mamabear2
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 130

Long grass
7/26/2016 at 12:12 PM

Is there a bylaw that states that you have to cut your grass? My backyard/fence-sharing neighbour's grass is 2 feet, maybe even 3 feet long!! NO JOKE!!! And I know the mosquitos are bad in our yard because of it!! She is never out there to know how bad they are! It's weird because she cuts her front grass, so nobody else sees the back except for us!! Makes me mad!
Daisyflower
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 281

Daisyflower
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 281

I hear ya mamabear
7/28/2016 at 9:36 AM

I'd like to know too mamabear. We have a neighbor that has grass in their back yard that's never been mowed. NEVER! It's s mosquito paradise. Makes our yard unbearable to sit outside due to the families of mosquitos brewing in the long grass near by. The little vampires come to our yard to feast. There should be someone you can call in the city to complain. If there is.......id like to know. Hurry.....I'm losing blood fast lol
daisychain
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2898

daisychain
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2898

Fog, Please
7/28/2016 at 9:56 AM

Its the long weekend...another we will spend doused in bug spray, spilling a cocktail while slapping mosquitoes, inhaling toxic fumes from those smelly green coils, listening to the the zapper running 24/7, all while surrounded by marigolds, basil and rosemary, and after all that, still covered in bites and calamine. There is a solution, there is still time to fog and let us enjoy the rest of our summer.

Edited by fuzzy slippers, 2016-07-28 10:09:50
Adam

Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

Adam
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

West Nile
7/29/2016 at 1:17 PM

From the link below, Province has identified the first cases of West Nile carrying mosquitos in Manitoba of this year (though not from Westman, no adult cases and no order for control). From the link:
" The risk of exposure to WNV is expected to continue in the coming weeks, particularly if warm and dry conditions persist, as these are ideal for Culex tarsalis development and activity. "

i:ncluded are suggestions on how to reduce risk:
http://news.gov.mb.ca/news/index.html?archive=&item=38831

Hagrid
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 171

Joined: Nov 2012

Posts: 171

7/30/2016 at 1:06 AM

Adam said "High but apparently no individual trap is enough to meet fogging guidelines. I respect wanting to find the right balance of not fogging unnecessarily but our portion of the city has been bad enough to effect quality of life. I'll be emailing my councillor after making this post, encouraging a revisit of criteria. If you feel the same (or even if you don't) you can find your councillors contact info at http://www.brandon.ca/council-information/wards/view-all-members "

contacted my city councillor and he really wasn't interested in hearing it. Very disappointing response.

Adam

Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

Adam

Joined: Mar 2005

Posts: 15663

Contact

8/1/2016 at 8:49 AM

Username_required said "

contacted my city councillor and he really wasn't interested in hearing it. Very disappointing response. "

I'd emailed mine and CCed the Mayor just under a week ago on Tuesday and haven't heard anything... I'm sure it's a tricky time of the year with holidays and the like.
Did have a chat yesterday with a councillor that isn't my own and my understanding is that everything is up for review in the fall.

The cost factor always has to be considered, but at the same time current criteria was set in an environment where the previous Mayor was clearly anti fog. Last year was so tame for mosquitoes but this year should provide a good test for whether that previous criteria that was set is properly meeting needs.

All that said, in my part of the city the daytime this weekend hasn't been too bad so far. It's sitting on the deck in the evening (with Off on, with the bug zapper running nightly, with grass cut nice and low, with no standing water in sight) that's pretty much a non starter.

Adam

Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

Adam
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

Update
8/2/2016 at 9:51 PM

Conspicuous by its absence was the Tuesday trap count update. Assume long weekend related.

That said, out for a walk tonight and things seem to pass the "swat test" in this part of town at least. It took walking right by a swampy ditch to find enough of them to write home about.
Oneopinion
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 13

Oneopinion
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 13

Manitoba Fogging
8/3/2016 at 9:47 AM

I'm guessing people missed this news article. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/iteam/health-canada-tells-winnipeg-it-can-t-fog-with-years-old-malathion-1.3690331
This applies to more then just Winnipeg as the article states most Malathion in Manitoba was purchased in 2007 so well over a year old. Anything over a year old has only been approved by Health Canada for West Nile and even then it has to be submitted for testing first.
Adam

Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

Adam
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

Weekly update
8/3/2016 at 3:45 PM

Weekly update is discussed at the link below. The threshold has been met for fogging, but between expected conditions and the lack of fogging on weekend they are preparing to fog not this week but *late* next week.
http://www.brandon.ca/public-notices-details?var=2348

On a semi-related note... interesting to note the long grass at at least some schools in the city (Linden Lanes and Riverheights as over the last day or so that I noticed). River heights had to be at 10+ inches!
Edited by Adam, 2016-08-03 15:51:18
3wildboyz
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1027

3wildboyz
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1027

Count....
8/3/2016 at 4:14 PM

I am confused with their rating. Last week the average was 364 and considered high, but this week the average is 1180 but considered medium? I'm wondering if the numbers are done enough next week that the end up not spraying.

Johnbisonbear
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 4183

Johnbisonbear

Joined: Mar 2010

Posts: 4183

Lots of long grass, weeds

8/4/2016 at 8:07 AM

Adam said "
Weekly update is discussed at the link below. The threshold has been met for fogging, but between expected conditions and the lack of fogging on weekend they are preparing to fog not this week but *late* next week.
http://www.brandon.ca/public-notices-details?var=2348

On a semi-related note... interesting to note the long grass at at least some schools in the city (Linden Lanes and Riverheights as over the last day or so that I noticed). River heights had to be at 10+ inches!
Edited by Adam, 2016-08-03 15:51:18
"

around the city! People don't cut outside their fences especially out in back lanes, not sure why.. Makes for a messy city.

We had travelled thru Carberry to go to the casino and I was amazed! I didn't see one property, public or private with any long grass or weeds!

The railroad tracks by 18th. street are over run with long grass and weeds! 18th. street is a main drag and it should be maintained better than that!

Adam

Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

Adam
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

Fogging
8/4/2016 at 10:14 PM

City doesnt fog if:
- temp goes below 13
- wind is over 15 km/hr
- its raining

Conditions at 10pm as per Environment Canada:
- temp 14. Mosquitos definitely still flying based on the ones I just squashed on my ankle, neck and arm
- wind 9 km/hr
- no rain expected

Overnight low eventually is 12, though we generally don't get to the low until after 2 or 3am. All hindsight since the announcement was already made that there'd be no fogging until late next week but have to wonder how much of the city could've potentially been covered in the hours before it got to the low.
JacqPDJ
Joined: This month
Posts: 146

JacqPDJ
Joined: This month
Posts: 146

agree with the weather conditions
8/4/2016 at 10:24 PM

They're suitable for fogging why aren't they reevaluating to get it done with 24 hours notice? Seems like they're breaking their own rules and policies and procedures in place. Hope council asks about that when the weather conditions are fine. Seems like a good cop out to get out of doing it next week! IMO I guess they have an out with the "unsuitable weather"! HA
Adam

Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

Adam
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

13
8/4/2016 at 11:13 PM

13 degrees now, or 12.7 to be exact. So if you take the criteria literally we're now just into conditions where they wouldn't fog (ie not enough time to have meaningfully covered the city.... Found a 2014 press release where they were estimating 8 hours for a city-wide application). The normal low for this time of the year is also 13, which means by current criteria on average there's going to be a narrow margin to fog within from now through the end of the season.
Edited by Adam, 2016-08-04 23:27:49
gekko
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 67

gekko
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 67

What excuse next?
8/6/2016 at 12:05 AM

and if the temp is good, the wind is good, the city will fog, unless the count after the wkend is less than needed. Sort of like if we don't have another accident at the corner without the stop on the wkend we won't bother putting one up. Good thing, it will soon be winter and no more mosquitoes!
whatthewhat
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 297

whatthewhat
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 297

get your fans going
8/6/2016 at 3:26 PM

I am setting up my fans outside - I was told that keeps the biters away - and it sure seems to be working for me - have you tried this???
Adam

Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

Adam
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

This week
8/9/2016 at 9:51 AM

- medium level
- no individual trap high enough to trigger fogging
... Leading to no fogging this week

http://www.brandon.ca/mosquito-abatement/mosquito-abatement-program
JacqPDJ
Joined: This month
Posts: 146

JacqPDJ
Joined: This month
Posts: 146

Ugh of course!
8/9/2016 at 10:01 AM

Nice job breaking your own policies City of Brandon! You dodged that bullet!!