Experts say Georgina is a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes because of its proximity to Lake Simcoe and the abundance of low lying marsh and swamp areas.
The Town of Georgina is commencing its annual larvicide program in an effort to reduce nuisance mosquitoes.
Flying over mosquito prone areas, GDG Environment is trying to eliminate the pesky bugs. They’re dropping bit bacterium pellets into the water which are toxic only to mosquito and blackfly larvae.
“This species is a high nuisance species – you will notice them first thing in the spring and all through the summer and if you don’t control them now then there is no other eradication methods that are safe for the environment,” said Maverick Piccininni with GDG Environment.
More than 4,000 hectares will be covered with the larvicide using both aerial and ground applications.
The project costs $120,000 which is covered by the Town of Georgina, but some landowners still choose to opt out of the program for various reasons.
“There is a noticeable difference, but it’s a control program, it’s not an eradication method and we’re never going to really be able to eradicate,” said Piccininni.
The treatment process wraps up in next couple of days and then the teams will spend four weeks setting up mosquito traps. They will also be doing sweep net testing both inside and outside of the treatment zone to determine the success of this program.
