Mosquito Dunks
Mosquito dunks are available at most Home Hardware stores and similar shops $30. for 6 dunks but they go a long way and probably a good investment right now!
Rob Voaden
Mosquito control
Hi,
Good discussion on mosquito control over the last few e-spokes. In the past control was effectively managed through the tide gate being in place (essential), monitoring and BTi application in the salt marsh/swamp area upstream using Vectobac (helpful especially in bad years), and normal management of everyone's small water bodies on their land. The person who organized the BTi moved away, the tide gate fell off (again) and this last two years we have more mosquitoes. My thought is that we need to return to the same approach, with a new, long term sustainable, tide gate and with management using BTi.
Several people (including myself) have indicated willingness to contribute to the tide gate cost, and I have sourced a gate through a supplier who will offer it at close to cost. Currently just from some conversations I see commitment to $4500 from 3 people plus commitment to labor and installation support, so not too far to go if a number of people chip in and we could get it in before winter, so it is in place for the early spring when it is important to have it there.
The BTi, this needs people committed to monitoring and application. Plus some annual cost. There are two forms available, as I understand, the Vectobac and AquaBac (expensive, available in Canada but Vectobac only to pesticide applicators) or Mosquito Bits (much lower cost, only in the US) which are used to knock down infestations and the Dunks which are for long term maintenance in small water bodies. I suspect we could source the Dunks at low cost through a bulk buy, and perhaps there would be a way to get the Mosquito Bits or maybe the Vectobac or AquaBac--perhaps the CVRD would do the knock down applications with local monitoring, or we could get hold of some (I do not recall how this used to be sourced).
For the Dunks, https://sidewalknature.com/2022/05/08/mosquito-bucket-of-doom/ have them with a discount for quantity, and at a somewhat more favorable price than Amazon. Jan brought up a good use for bits of these in mosquito breeding traps the other day, https://sidewalknature.com/2022/05/08/mosquito-bucket-of-doom/
Domestic version of AquaBac: https://www.fishfarmsupply.ca/products/aquabac-mosquito-control https://www.growitall.ca/products/aquabac
Mosquito Bits, only in the US, I suppose we need a few 20 lb bags:https://summitchemical.com/products/mosquito-bits/
And I quite agree that it seems very odd that a completely harmless, long term tested, biological solution is hard to get in Canada when you can buy all sorts of chemical pesticides and herbicides!
Ian
pas@pacificcoast.net
RE: Mosquitos
The drainage ditch near Marina Drive and Pilkey Point Road is currently not controlling mosquitos and needs work.
I’ve had conversations with a few people regarding this known problem that’s apparently been well managed in the past by specific actions taken by members of the community.
Addressing the problem with the drainage ditch might very well resolve the extreme mosquito issue currently affecting the island, considering that nearly the entire island is within roughly 3 miles of the drainage ditch.
While our individual properties may be clear of any standing water, this year and last year seem to have been the worst ever for mosquitos. I’ve heard from some people that Forbes Hall has never been as bad as this year, especially with the mosquitoes being so prevalent at all times of the day including the morning and afternoon.
There are Thetis residents who can’t go outside their homes right now, or visit Forbes Hall, without getting significant numbers of bites within seconds, and there are Thetis residents who suffer from allergic reactions to mosquito bites, creating pain and inflammation for days/weeks.
It’s very upsetting not being able to enjoy the outside at all, at such a beautiful time of year.
For contrast, we just spent 3 days hiking all over north Vancouver Island and there was not a mosquito in sight. None.
There is community knowledge of the work that’s been done in the past to mitigate this issue, and there’s knowledge of what’s required to fix it. The community members who spent the time, money, and effort to do this in the past, did so for a reason.
If we, as a community, can come up with the funds required to facilitate this work, maybe we could still enjoy some of our summertime on Thetis, rather than having to be off island just to be outside.
If I’m not mistaken, mosquitos typically only live for 2-3 weeks, which means if we act quickly, there may still be time to make a difference for 2023.
If any members of the community are willing to try to help gather the support and the funds required, I’d be very interested to hear from you.
Perhaps we could have a community meeting at the hall specifically to discuss this topic, for those interested in sharing and discussing ideas?
For example, if just 26 people with $500 each could get this done, then I’ll personally commit to $500 today.
If there are any other safe methods we could employ as well, to mitigate this problem broadly for the community, let’s talk about those too.
Thanks for reading,
Julian Jackman
Thursday, July 6, 2023 at 7:38AM 
