City experiencing prime mosquito conditions

July 6, 2010

(Red Deer, Alberta) – Substantial amounts of rainfall in the early part of June have resulted in prime mosquito conditions within the city and in surrounding areas. City staff have completed standard monitoring and larval treatment in order to control local mosquito populations; however, there is the potential for increased mosquito populations in the Red Deer area over the next few weeks as adult mosquitoes emerge.

“An increase in mosquito populations is an unfortunate side effect of the recent rainfall we’ve experienced in our community,” says Ken Lehman, Parks Ecological & Planning Specialist with The City. “The last few years have seen fewer mosquitoes in the city as a result of drier weather, but the rain we got in June has created prime conditions for an increase in mosquito numbers.”

While The City is actively monitoring for and treating local mosquito larvae, Red Deerians should plan on taking personal protective measures as well. Practices such as using repellants containing DEET and avoiding low-lying areas of high humidity will help alleviate mosquito biting.

The City of Red Deer’s environmentally-sensitive mosquito control program is designed to reduce nuisance mosquito populations in the community to tolerable levels. The program normally runs from April to August using a control product that is non-toxic to other beneficial aquatic organisms, such as dragonfly larvae and water beetles. This product has no detrimental effects on birds, mammals, fish or other animals.

For more information on additional personal protective measures and mosquito control, please visit Mosquito Control and the West Nile Virus.

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For more information, please contact:

Ken Lehman
Parks Ecological & Planning Specialist
The City of Red Deer
403-314-5854