The Area of Waterloo is making an effort to maintain the mosquito inhabitants below management.
They’re working with Pestalto, the environmental well being companies group, to manage larvicide to about 54,000 catch basins throughout native neighbourhoods.
“We’ll be treating those on a monthly basis throughout the summer,” Morgan Tyler, Pestalto’s director of operations, informed Ontario Chronicle on Wednesday.
Whereas protected to folks, pets and different bugs, larvicide kills mosquitos by regulating their progress and retaining them from growing into maturity.
“Not being able to become adults, they’re not able to go out and bite and reproduce,” Tyler defined.
The area’s intention is to restrict the unfold of West Nile virus by mosquito bites. Area of Waterloo Public Well being says culex pipiens and culex restuans, two of the species present in Ontario, are identified to hold the virus.
Rebecca Piovesan, the appearing supervisor for public well being, additionally mentioned most individuals contaminated with the virus will probably be asymptomatic, however some will expertise flu-like signs.
“Headaches, fever, fatigue, might have swollen glands, muscle aches. In very rare instances people can experience neurological symptoms,” she mentioned.
Supply: Area of Waterloo
The area has seen a decline circumstances of West Nile virus in folks, with solely two reported in 2021, one in 2022, and none in 2023.
On Wednesday, a chook in Halton Area examined constructive for the West Nile virus.
Pestalto and her group may also be treating woodland swimming pools, parks, ponds and different types of standing water by monitoring the larvae within the water and making use of larvicide to maintain the mosquito inhabitants down.
Public Well being mentioned the unfold will be managed if everybody does their half.
“Take a look around your property, see if there’s any standing water,” Piovesan mentioned. “It’s a community effort. I think we all have a part to play.”
She added that handled catch basins will all be marked with blue or inexperienced paint.
