91原创

Fort 91原创 residents gathered to talk about mosquito control last week, as residents and business owners were concerned about a repeat of last year鈥檚 clouds of blood suckers.

Last year, an extremely cool, rainy spring was followed by a hot, dry summer combined with high river levels.

That proved to be a perfect storm for mosquitoes, with multiple years of mosquito eggs hatching all at once, and making them inescapable for weeks in and around Fort 91原创.

Fort 91原创 Community Association invited Dirk Lewis of Morrow Bioscience, who talked about the control of mosquitoes.

鈥淲e鈥檙e all familiar with the adults, from the control perspective, we鈥檙e concerned with the larvae,鈥� said Lewis. Morrow contracts with Metro Vancouver for regional mosquito control, which is done by attacking them with non-toxic bacterial pesticides before they can pupate and hatch into the flying mosquitoes that bite humans.

The forest areas around the Fort are perfect for the mosquitoes, damp but not too hot or too cool for them.

Up to 80 million mosquitoes can hatch per hectare, said Lewis.

The local species of mosquitoes are highly aggressive and will bite at any time of day, and are not deterred by heat, he added. Although bats and birds eat them, they overwhelm the ability of predators to keep up by sheer numbers.

Morrow maps sites, monitors larva concentrations, and treats the sites where appropriate.

鈥淭he highest intensity in 91原创 is in this are,鈥� Lewis said.

He noted that there鈥檚 no way to effectively wipe out adult mosquitoes, once they鈥檝e already hatched.

FLCA president Andy Schildhorn said it was a good technical meeting.

He said he hopes that more can be done in the future to control mosquitoes.

鈥淲e need to be more proactive,鈥� Schildhorn said.

The concern is that every four to five years now, the mosquito problem around the Fort gets worse, Schildhorn said. That鈥檚 bad for residents, merchants, and visitors, as well as special events.

鈥淚t is an economic hindrance,鈥� he said.

Last year, radio news reports about the mosquito problem in the Fort were broadcast just a week before the Jazz Festival, and it really hurt attendance, Schildhorn said.

鈥淔ort 91原创 is getting known as the mosquito capital of the Fraser Valley,鈥� he said.

When it comes to the flying bloodsuckers, this year isn鈥檛 expected to be nearly as bad as last year.

But Schildhorn worries that climate change may be making conditions worse over time.