What is the Mosquito Report in Your part of Winnipeg?

Its a complex calculation, but normally only around 100ish. but can start as soon as AFA is "HIGH" which means nothing really since city wide we are "HIGH" at 15

EdWin wrote:

Sourpuss wrote:

EdWin wrote:

Sourpuss wrote:Mmm. That gives me something to look forward to, fo 'sho. That said, I don't find this any worse than growing up in Northern BC. We lived in a valley surrounded by moose-bogs and rivers.

Where in Northern BC?

This miserable dump. Ever heard of it? http://www.kitimat.ca/

Most of my classmates ended up in Alberta because there's no work in Hicksville anymore. My Facebook feed from the Edmonton area folk corroborates your mosquito complaints/sightings. It sounds like it's really bad there this summer.

Hahaha. My co-workers husband is from there. He, along with most people there apparently, think it's a dump as well. I've been there and can't say I found it appealing; sorry. Terrace itself was moderately better, as was Prince Rupert. Smithers on the other hand is a gorgeous, well-kept town. I'm glad I have work sites out there so I can stay and enjoy the town, especially Twin Falls.

Ha. Everyone from Kitimat is related through marriage or incestual inbreeding, so I probably know the dude/share his genetics. It's actually a very pretty town, and was not a bad place to grow up in it's more prosperous years. Now it's depressing and desperate. I HATE Terrace, and Prince Rupert is meh. Smithers IS lovely and has vastly underrated skiing opportunities.

On the local 'skeeters: they were eating us alive last week, and this week? They've all vanished. They've been replaced by erratic, spastic moths and corpulent black flies. Did the city fog this week, or are they out looking for tasty Transcona cougar?

Sourpuss wrote:On the local 'skeeters: they were eating us alive last week, and this week? They've all vanished. They've been replaced by erratic, spastic moths and corpulent black flies. Did the city fog this week, or are they out looking for tasty Transcona cougar?

dragon flies ate them all.

I haven't seen any dragon flies this week either. Last week they were hanging off of our stucco and hanging off my flowers, but now it's moths. Moths, moths, moths.

the wind blew them all away?

I watered some flower beds this morning and as long as I stayed on the concrete sidewalks, I had no problems.

However, the moment I walked through the grass, I was swarmed by those little buggers.

Here is a view of swarms of skeeters in the Grande Prairie area:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150307979695935&set=o.151369908231405&type=1&theater
These have also been spotted around the edmonton area too.

Edmonton puts Winnipeg mosquito numbers to shame
9:50am
[email=bdriedger@iNews880.com?Subject=Response from iNews880.com]Click here to email Brenton Driedger[/email]
7/13/2011

You might be fed up with the mosquitoes this summer, but at least they're not as bad as in Winnipeg.

Think again. Edmonton's trap count is at 30. At that level, Winnipeg usually starts city-wide fogging. But right now, Winnipeg's trap count is only at six and holding. Edmonton's is expected to climb this week, and the city is only talking about doing "spot spraying" at some festivals....not carpet bombing the city to kill the pests.

Some argue that matching trap counts from different cities is like comparing apples and oranges, but both cities do use the same light traps.
Even though the mosquitoes seem really bad in Edmonton this summer, at least we're still better off than Winnipeg, right?

Wrong. Edmonton's trap count is at 30. At that level, Winnipeg usually starts city-wide fogging. But right now, Winnipeg's trap count is only at six and holding. Edmonton's is expected to climb this week, and the city is only talking about doing "spot spraying" at some festivals, not carpet bombing the city to kill the pests.

Some argue that matching trap counts from different cities is like comparing apples and oranges, but both cities do use the same light traps. (bd,mb)



http://www.inews880.com/Channels/Reg/LocalNews/story.aspx?ID=1456548

In SW Ontario trap counts in the 100s are the norm and no one complains. And those buggers are big and cause nasty welts that fester for weeks.

I don't think Winnipeg starts spraying at 30! Is this a lie? Are you trying to embarass us Winnipegers? Please check our City entomologist, Taz with the great hair for the right number! lol

we dont use trap numbers to spray we use AFA level of HIGH which can get to high for many reasons. right now we are at high with only 8 skeeters.. but yeah we normally dont carpet domb till 100ish

I'm starting to get pissed off with the snivelling, waterlogged BC folk snidely crowing "Too bad you have to live with all of those mosquitos! The size of helicopters!" Actually, a$$holes, if you'd actually step away from metro-Vancouver for a while and head north a few hours, you'll be eaten alive. This is NOT worse than where I grew up. At all.

When I first moved to winnipeg I laughed at the mosquitoes that people complained about. The breed in northern areas is larger and bite harder and there is just simply way more of them.

Alas after several years of being citified.. the ones down here can actually be annoying at times.

The northern ones are indestructible too. When they bite, you get welts, and the itch is ungodly. These ones are feeble. My kids have one or two really good ones, but other than that, meh.

Report on CBC this morning says Taz is attributing the low counts to larvaciding ($6M worth) which is basically spraying without fogging.

Some other guy got on and said it was actually because of all the high-water...that the fast moving rivers are making the normal breeding grounds unfavorable to mosquito production.

Either way...they are definitely coming out now. Last night we were getting swarmed by them in the West End...when only a few days ago there weren't any.

And apparently Mayor Sammy has announced "buffer zones be damned" about the fogging process.

"And apparently Mayor Sammy has announced "buffer zones be damned" about the fogging process."

?????

that one i can't credit.

someone i was talking with last night said they heard/read/saw it somewhere...could just be a rumour

If the entomologists find mosquitoes in the traps that are the West Nile virus carriers, then the buffer zones are automatically withdrawn as it then becomes a health issue. I haven't heard that there have been any West Nile virus type mosquitoes in the traps but then again I don't read the news nor do I listen the news on TV.

Why should we spray just because of WNV?

Yes I know people could die, and I know some have and some have also become very sick and resulted in permanent brain damage. But.. are we all actually immune to WNV by now? Thats a very interesting question that would be nice to answer.

Not a skeeter to be seen at Bomber game last night. Too windy?

nah... too much competition from the bombers sucking....


I kid!

Deank wrote:Why should we spray just because of WNV?

Yes I know people could die, and I know some have and some have also become very sick and resulted in permanent brain damage. But.. are we all actually immune to WNV by now? Thats a very interesting question that would be nice to answer.

If you have had it....and you'll sure know if you have had it...you will develope a certain amount of immunity....but it's after the fact....which could be too late.

No actually you wont know if you have had it. Far from it.


Most (80%) dont even get a hint of sick and as such they dont have a clue

Of those that get sick.. Most ( 98%) only get a little sick where it could simply be a normal flu and as such they wont automatically assume or know for a fact it was WNV. Even if you go to the doctor the likelihood of them testing you to verify is very remote.


Of the minority 3rd type of reaction (2% of 20% of total who get sick so about 1 in 200 people).. yeah you will know. But it is such a small amount that actually know you can not use that to determine what percentage of the population has had it.


EVERYONE who gets either 1,2 or 3 is in fact completely immune after the fact.

I would much rather prevent something from happening than have to deal with the potential after effects and long term care and cost that may be associated with a disease that can cause so many differing conditions. My personal opinion of course as well as having personal contact with someone who has had a mild case and is now suffering some pretty drastic changes to his lifestyle and medical care. Before contact he was an extremely active, healthy athlete who is now not able to do half of what he used to do. Most of what he is dealing with is neurological so can become very costly down the road to care for.

oh I understand that. Its quite frankly a terrible outcome. But what if we as a society are 99.99% immune already? Or 60% immune? should we not track this until we reach 99.99% immunity? Heck, why dont we offer a freakin shot for immunity?

Better yet why dont we actually target the carrier of the disease instead of the mosquito which just gets it from the carrier and passes it on to a human?