Hello neighbors!
For the past two years I have been purchasing pucks of “Mosquito Dunk” which can be dropped into standing bodies of water. I toss a few pucks in my swales and drainage ditches in the spring when there is actually water in them, and it helps to keep the number of mosquitos down. This product contains BTi, a biological larvicide which is specific to mosquito and black flies. It is not harmful to the environment and is MUCH better than the use of a “full spectrum” pesticide.
Commercial grade BTi is restricted in Canada meaning it can only be sold to licensed applicators where it is known as “Vectobac”. Perhaps there is a licensed pesticide applicator on the island who could purchase and apply this product? If so, please make your presence known!
The Mosquito Dunk pucks, however, are available on Amazon. They are expensive, but cheaper than a $13,000 road works project. :) Maybe if everybody with standing water on their property uses the pucks it would have the same effect. After all, no one knows where the standing water on your property is better than you do.
If we do get some sort of mosquito control program on our island, I would recommend the use of BTi. It can be used on organic farms, is non-toxic to bees and humans, and is a naturally occurring soil organism. I just don’t know why it is so highly controlled while we can buy a gallon of toxic Roundup at the hardware store! It’s a mystery.
https://www.gdg.ca/documents/Document-Mise-a-jour-Bti-2022-ENG.pdf
https://www.amazon.ca/Mosquito-Dunks-20-Pack-Dunk/dp/B00L1JDSDU
Jonathan Stoski