Get Prepared for Active Mosquito Season

July 15, 2022

If you’ve been spending time outdoors lately you’ve probably noticed an increase in mosquitoes. A very wet spring, combined with high and sustained near-peak Fraser River levels, has produced the perfect scenario for floodwater mosquitoes.

Morrow BioScience understands the frustration residents may be feeling as they provide mosquito control services for the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD). Their crews are actively monitoring and treating hatching sites where they focus on controlling mosquitoes at the larval stage of development before they become flying adults.

“We are out treating all floodwater mosquito habitat within the FVRD by ground and by air,” said Shaun Calver, Morrow BioScience operations manager. “Our crews are monitoring sites regularly and responding to information from residents regarding potential new seepage sites.”

Morrow BioScience crews expect to see the majority of adult floodwater mosquitoes emerge within a week after the peak of the Fraser River (which was measured on July 4).  Depending on air temperatures, floodwater mosquitoes are then expected to be present for approximately three weeks after they emerge. If air temperatures are higher than average, mosquitoes will cycle through their lifespans more quickly.

What can residents do to protect themselves?

While Morrow BioScience staff are continuing to provide treatments to reduce the number of larvae hatching into adult mosquitoes, residents are encouraged to anticipate elevated levels of mosquito annoyance over the next few weeks.

Stock up on bug spray, repair holes in household screens and remember to refresh daily or dump out standing water around homes.  These items can include birdbaths, old tires, clogged gutters, animal troughs, and kiddy pools, to name a few. This standing water does not tend to be a source of floodwater mosquitoes that we are currently experiencing, but it can produce other types of mosquitoes that are adding to the overall mosquito abundance.

Residents are encouraged to reduce their exposure to mosquito bites through personal protective measures such as wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants, choosing light-coloured clothing, using insect repellent, deploying mosquito netting at home, and ensuring window screens are properly installed and maintained.   

Please visit Morrow BioScience’s website and social media sites to learn more about mosquitoes and treatments, and read FAQs:

Residents are also able to contact the Fraser Valley Regional District’s Mosquito Hotline to report a high abundance of adult mosquitoes or to obtain additional information about the program: 1-888-733-2333 or email: mosquitoes@fvrd.ca

Due to current call volumes, residents should expect a delay in responses to the hotline, but all calls and emails are being logged and will be responded to. 

Media contact:
Shaun Calver, Operations Manager
Morrow BioScience Ltd.
shaun@morrowbioscience.com
604-819-4223