Low cankerworm counts across the city

Regina has started its cankerworm spraying for the season.

The city is fielding a small crew this year, with around 6,000 trees to be sprayed. Cankerworm populations are considered extremely low this year, but pocket areas do exist in the Rosemont, North Central and Windsor Place neighbourhoods.

Russell Eirich, the city’s senior program manager for forestry, pest control and horticulture, said the low pest numbers are consistent with population trends.

“Regina goes through a lot of peaks and valleys in extremes,” said Eirich, adding that the city is currently in a low period. “We’re kind of getting towards the end of that and now we’re starting to see that we’re getting a couple of pockets here and there … Those cankerworm numbers will dramatically increase over the next two to three years.”

The spray is meant to treat cankerworm larvae. In the fall, tree bands are used to interrupt the egg-laying cycle. Eirich said residents should take bands down if they still have them up.

The city will be using an organic-based pesticide, DiPel, to spray the leaves of trees.

“What’s going to happen then is the insect is going to feed a little bit more on the leaves, they’ll ingest that and that’s how they’re going to stop feeding,” said Eirich, who added the public shouldn’t be alarmed if they see any spray on their vehicles.

“We may make a little mess of cars; that sort of thing does happen with overhead tree spraying, but just wash your car off. (The spray) doesn’t do anything (to vehicles).”

Due to such low numbers, crews are not doing a city-wide program. Instead, they’re working on a block-to-block basis and will be focusing their efforts on the pocketed areas. Crews should only be out for about another week, as cankerworms are already at the end of their larvae cycle.

Not only are cankerworm populations low, but Eirich said that the mosquito population is about a third of the average.

With mosquito populations low, more effort can be given to address cankerworm and gopher pest control.

Eirich said the city has received around 20 calls from residences so far and added if people notice a pocket of cankerworms in their neighbourhoods, they should give the city a call at 306-777-7000, or submit an online service request at www.regina.ca.