Regina buzz on bugs: no mosquitos caught in traps so far

It’s the perfect time of year when Regina people can get outside to enjoy the weather without dealing with bugs.

Russell Eirich is the manager of forestry and pest control for the City of Regina and joined the CJME Morning Show to explain what they are doing to prevent swarms of bugs. He said some insects do survive the winter and those are the ones we see right now.

He explained city crews actually got a big jump on mosquito control, starting treatment programs for larvae back on April 23. He added they did their first adult count on April 30.

“We had zero mosquitoes in all of our traps across the board, so you just can’t get any lower than that,” Eirich said.

In addition to working proactively on mosquito control, Eirich said the city is monitoring for bugs of the creepy crawly variety.

“We’re still doing our canker worm and tent caterpillar counts and determining what we need to do there yet,” Eirich said.

He noted the city will have updated results about the potential for tent caterpillars and canker worms in the next week or two.

“Then we’re just going to take what summer gives us and then we’ll have to figure that out,” Eirich said.

When the city does spray for cankerworms or caterpillars, crews use a bacillus thuringiensis or BT-based natural microbial pesticide which are targeted to specific insects. He said BT sprays are typically available to consumers at any garden centre.

As for ticks, the city really doesn’t monitor those but Eirich’s best advice is to pull your socks over your pant legs if you plan to hike in long grass.