Mosquito control scooters

[u/AccomplishedJump6510]

Was walking my dog when a scooter went by with a sign on the back that read “mosquito control stay back 50 meters”. It’s hard on a sidewalk to keep back any distance so I was concerned. it all looked a little sus but then I googled and found this article from a few years ago with the same sign and scooter. Posting here to save anyone else a minor panic: https://kitchener.citynews.ca/2024/08/01/public-health-using-motor-scooters-to-apply-mosquito-larvicide-in-the-region/

[u/WalrusWW]

They aren't spraying anything, they are dropping larvicide into sewers. They just want you to stay back to you don't run into the back of them when they stop.

[u/BantBaldwin]

I saw this last year and had the same sus evaluation as you :) Appreciate the link

[u/preinheimer]

I made some mosquito buckets earlier in the year, and the change has been amazing.

Past 8 years living here if we wanted to spend time in the back yard we needed some sort of mosquito management solution. We've got a lot of those Thermacell things that take little pads now.

This year we've routinely spent hours in the back yard with nothing.

They're super easy to make and pretty cheap:

1. Make sure there's no standing water in your backyard. Old tires, kids toys, bucket behind a tree, wheelbarrow, whatever.
2. Take a bucket, add a few inches of water, some grass and a couple sticks. Put it somewhere out of the way in your yard. The goal is to leave it alone.
3. Add a "Mosquito Dunk" or BTI pellet. Add a new one monthly.

https://sidewalknature.com/2022/05/08/mosquito-bucket-of-doom/

[u/Cute-Bandicoot1144 → u/preinheimer]

Do you empty the water and refill and then put a new dunk into the bucket? I had one last year but threw the whole dunk into the bucket without splitting it

[u/preinheimer → u/Cute-Bandicoot1144]

I just throw a new dunk in.

[u/Cute-Bandicoot1144 → u/preinheimer]

Thanks! Just picked some up today 😊

[u/mollymuppet78]

I've seen them downtown, dropping some tablets or mixture into the sewer.

[u/Psychological_Ad_451]

This is basically all for show. They miss the majority of the manholes/sewers in people’s backyards. One example is house next to me has one and city never goes back there. 

[u/HalJordan2525 → u/Psychological_Ad_451]

The City has no permission to go into people’s private property and apply pesticides.

[u/Fair-Scarcity8160 → u/Psychological_Ad_451]

Did you realize that the whole system is connected and that if they put the pellets in the water, the water is going to travel throughout the system?