Mosquito larvae treatments are underway as part of the Fraser Valley Regional District’s Nuisance Mosquito Control Program.
According to a notice on the District of Mission’s website, the FVRD handles the mosquito population by targeting mosquito larvae with a non-toxic bacterial larvicide (Bti) that specifically targets the larvae and does not harm other species.
While the program is effective at reducing mosquito populations across the region, it does not eliminate them.
Given the height of the Fraser River freshet this year, there were higher levels of standing water and seepage, leading to a larger amount of mosquito breeding sites that became active throughout May and June. Over the past six weeks, the FVRD has been aggressively treating all of the active sites, using both aerial and ground methods.
As the Fraser River reached its highest level since 2014, three years of mosquito larvae are hatching in some areas of the Fraser Valley, and even though the FVRD’s treatments effectively prevented 80 per cent of these larvae from hatching, that still leaves enough mosquitoes for them to be a nuisance.
The FVRD is not permitted to conduct fogging or spraying of chemicals to kill adult mosquitoes, but they will continue to monitor and treat larvae as long as needed this summer.
For those who have mosquito control inquiries or would like to report mosquito breeding sites within the Fraser River corridor, call the FVRD’s Mosquito Hotline at 1-888-733-2333.
For more information on the Nuisance Mosquito Control Program, please visit the FVRD website.