Drone versus mosquito

New drone technology has helped one Canadian neighbourhood vastly reduce the mosquito population. 

Ghanaians might think that Canada’s cold climate protects them from the disease-bearing insects that Ghana has in abundance. But when the snow melts in the spring, there is a lot of standing water and summers are hot and humid in many places. The mosquitos don’t carry malaria but they do carry the West Nile virus, which is a serious disease. Canada also has a growing tick problem, and the ticks can carry Lyme disease. 

One neighbourhood in the capital city of Ottawa hired GDG Environment to help. GDG applies two biological larvicides as soon as the snow melts. It is an environmentally safe product containing a toxin that when ingested by mosquito larvae causes them to stop eating and die. No other plants or animals in the treated area are harmed.

The Ottawa program started with helicopters dispersing the larvicide from the air and workers applying it on the ground. In recent years drones were added to the program, enabling a faster and less expensive application of the larvicide.

When it comes to the drone versus the mosquito, at least in one region of Ottawa the drones are winning. As a result, residents can enjoy their warm weather outside any time of the day or night.