Regina to see increase of mosquitoes this weekend, residents advised to drain water

Mosquitoes – the little bloodsuckers of summer are not here yet – but they will be soon.

The City of Regina says their mosquito traps have only been seeing one mosquito per week, which is far below the average of 28 bugs and way below the record high of 4,000 mosquitoes per trap back in 1993.

The city says given the recent rain and warm weather, we can expect to see a noticeable increase by this weekend. Residents are encouraged to drain any standing water in their yards to help slow the onslaught.

Another thing residents need to be on the lookout for is Dutch Elm Disease, which has already shown up in the city. The first tree of the year was identified and removed earlier this week in the Holland Park area.

• Get the CTV News app for Regina breaking news alerts and top stories 

“What makes Dutch Elm Disease really unusual is the fact it can kill a tree. Normally, a tree disease will take a few years to kind of take it down. Dutch Elm Disease can kill a tree in as little as two weeks and then it’s very virulent in its spread,” Russell Eirich, manager of open space services, said.

The city did do some spraying for canker worms in the General Hospital area earlier in June. The risk from those pests is over until fall, when residents are encouraged to ban their elm trees.