Mosquito population explodes in Kanata North

After an itchy August, some Kanata North residents are questioning whether a pilot project to take care ofmenacing mosquitoesis actually working.

The project has been running since 2016with the goal of reducing thepopulation in the ward.

After a relatively scratch-free June and July, August seems to have been particularly good for mosquitoes and bad for people.

"I'm out here quite a lot running and stuff and and the last three, four weeks, they've been back with a vengeance, biting everything that moves," said Sandeep Kulkarni.

He said the pests have also become a nuisance for anyone trying to enjoysummer evenings in their backyards.

"I don't think most people around here would want to sit out unless they have [mosquito repellent] or something like that on," he said.

Mosquito population explodes in Kanata North

6 years ago

Duration 0:24

After an itchy August, some Kanata North residents are questioning whether a pilot project to take care of menacing mosquitoes is actually working.

Population boom

This season has been the perfect storm for a mosquito explosion.

The late start to spring,a hot, dry June and most of July followed by significant raincreated a perfect storm for a mosquito explosion last month, said Mark Ardis withGDG Canada, the company which manages the mosquito control program.

Despite the boom, they're still seeing an 80 per cent reduction in the population, based on traps collected within the ward and outside it.

"But that 20 per cent that's still remainingis a fairly high, noticeable nuisance population because the population is just so high," he said.

The hot weather hasn't been helping either.

Eggs normally take 10 to 15 days to develop into adults, which was cut in half because of the high temperatures, he said.

That meant Ardis' teams had a relatively short window in which to apply two larvicide treatmentsbefore the eggs matured.

Election issue?

Households inKanata Northpay about $20 per year on their municipal taxes to pay for the spraying.

With the election approaching, the mosquitoes could become an election issue.

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"I understand it comes up at thedoor and I've heard that more [people]are saying they want it than not wanting it at this point, but it depends on where you are," said Coun. Marianne Wilkinson, who pushed for the initial pilot project.

Whether the program continues past next year will be up to the person who replaces her, because a decision has to be madeby the middle of next year.

The last referendum in 2016 saw72 per cent of voting households choose the levy but only 18.5 per cent of the households cast ballots at the time.

"Some people think it should be a program, but it should be paid for by the city," said Wilkinson.

As for Kulkari,a scratch-free run isn't necessarilyat the top of his election priority list but he wonders if the $20 annual fee is paying off.

"I would like to see a discernible change, obviously, if we're paying for it."