Mosquito counts in Regina are four times the average

Mosquito counts are currently four times the average that the city usually sees at this time of year.

Thanks to more rain over the past few weeks, the City of Regina last week counted an average of 273 mosquitoes per trap in the control zone area. The average is 73 per trap.

Regina’s control zone indicates the city boundaries where methods are used to control the mosquito population.

Outside of the city’s control zone, mosquitoes averaged 514 per trap.

Russell Eirich, the City of Regina’s program manager for forestry, pest control and horticulture, said Tuesday that every bit of residents’ initiative can help reduce the pests.

“It was a big event that we saw for mosquito emergence,” Eirich said in reference to the past week, which featured a significant growth even from the previous week.

“We’re still in that hot cycle with rain coming down, keeping everything active and moving. We need residents to drain any standing water in their backyards and be very vigilant. Every little bit of vigilance helps.”

Although mosquitoes have emerged in droves, Eirich said there is some good news in regards to the culex tarsalis mosquito, which spreads West Nile virus.

Only 12 of that variety of mosquito were caught between all 12 traps, totalling about 0.5 per cent of the mosquitoes that were trapped.

“The majority of the trap count was the aedes vexans mosquito,” Eirich commented. “That is typically the mosquito that drives everybody crazy and that was 98 per cent of the trap count.”

Dutch elm disease reappears

The first case of Dutch elm disease popped up in Regina last week.

An average of five to 10 trees are lost per year to the disease. Eirich said, however, that the City of Regina loses very few elm trees, amounting to well below one per cent.

In comparison, some communities lose around 1,000 elm trees a year.

Eirich wants residents to watch out if they have an elm tree, though.

“You’re going to see the leaves wilt,” he said. “They’ll turn yellow … but the real trick is that the leaves will not fall off the tree.”

If residents have concerns about Dutch elm disease in their area, they can contact the city at 306-777-7000.