Toronto is well on its way to handling its pest problems. In June, the City of Toronto implemented the city’s 2020 Larviciding Program.

This program is designed to help reduce mosquitoes in the city, but it’s just one part of a larger plan. Check out what the Larviciding Program covers below.

How Toronto’s Larviciding Program Works

The goal of Toronto’s Larviciding Program is to cut the mosquito population. Mosquitoes spread diseases like West Nile virus, malaria, and yellow fever to humans. They also cause problems like heartworms in pets.

Controlling mosquito populations is important to help keep Torontonians and their pets healthy and comfortable.

Targeting Mosquitoes at the Larva Stage

The Larvicide Program targets mosquitoes during their most vulnerable time: when they’re still larvae. When mosquitoes are still in their larval stage, they are confined to stagnant water.

They can’t avoid or escape anything that’s used to treat that water. As a result, the simplest way to lower the population of adult mosquitoes is to cut down the number of larvae.

Treating Them with Bacteria

Larvae are also more vulnerable to certain pesticides. In particular, they are vulnerable to a bacteria that has no effect on other animals and insects: bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, or BTI.

This bacteria and another similar strain are two of the main pesticides the City of Toronto is using to reduce larval populations.

How the Bacteria Works

Basically, these bacteria can only colonize the larvae of certain water-dwelling insects. By treating stagnant water with these bacteria, the City can safely cut down on mosquitoes without harming other insects that are more important to the environment.

As an added benefit, this program also keeps additional pesticide use to a minimum, keeping extra chemicals out of the water supply.

Areas Toronto is Targeting

The City of Toronto is specifically targeting public areas of stagnant water. Storm drains, run-off ponds and other public areas of standing water are monitored to track larva populations.

The places that show larval activity are then treated with the anti-mosquito mix. This keeps mosquitoes from congregating in public areas like parks and walking trails.

The City is not treating private property, though. Homes with ponds or other standing water are still responsible for reducing their own mosquito population. While Toronto’s public Larviciding Program is an important step for public health, private individuals still have a responsibility to help.

How to Help Reduce Mosquitoes

When mosquitoes aren’t successfully breeding in public areas, they will start to migrate to private property. That puts some of the responsibility for keeping mosquito populations low on homeowners.

In order to keep your home just as mosquito-free as the local park, your best bet is to work with a professional pest control service.

Mosquitoes can breed in as little as an inch of water. Any standing water, including rain puddles, can harbor mosquito larvae long enough to lead to a new generation of these pests.

Professional mosquito control services understand how to effectively treat standing water that you want to keep. They also know how to reduce and remove the standing water you don’t want. The result is a mosquito-free yard in no time.

 

Mosquitoes are a serious summer pest. The itchy welts they leave can ruin just about any barbecue or outdoor party. On top of that, they’re also a reservoir for diseases. By keeping your yard mosquito-free this summer with professional mosquito control, you’re not just helping yourself. You’re also protecting public health.

About the Author:

Daniel Mackie, co-owner of Greenleaf Pest Control, is a Toronto pest control expert and a regular guest on HGTV. He is renowned in the industry as an innovator of safe, effective pest control solutions. Mackie and business partner Sandy Costa were the first pest control professionals in Canada to use detection dogs and thermal remediation for the successful eradication of bed bugs. In his free time, he is an avid gardener.