Bare Oaks is committed to reducing nuisance of mosquitoes and black flies on the property. However, we are not willing to use any chemicals that poison our environment or harms humans and animals.
East Gwillimbury has a mosquito control program that uses a non-chemical, biological agent called Bti to reduce the number of mosquitoes at the larval stage. Bti is essentially a non-toxic substance found naturally in nature. Bti is a biological control in the form of a bacteria that quickly kills the mosquito and black fly at the larvae stage, that is, before they develops into a flying, biting adult. The larvae are destroyed within 24 hours and the Bti biodegrades within 48 hours. Unlike chemical options, Bti is very selective in that it does not harm any other insects nor does it poison the birds that eat those insects.
Bti is harmless to humans, pets and the environment. Bti is also known by its brand name Vectobac and Aquabac. East Gwillimbury uses helicopters to distribute Vectobac onto the main breeding sites of the spring Aedes mosquito in the month of April. It is this species that causes the excessive biting problem from May to mid-July.
Both Aquabac and Vectobac is suspended in particles of corncob for application. The corncob particle allows the bacteria to fall through trees into the larval habitats in the wooded areas, common in East Gwillimbury. The corncob particles also reduce the chance of the Bti drifting in the wind, away from the targeted snow melt ponds.
Bare Oaks has purchased Aquabac and will be enhancing the town’s program by spot-treating the standing water on the property throughout the spring and summer.
We have also purchased four Mega-Catch™ Mosquito Traps. They attract mosquitoes from as far away as 150 feet using their integrated lighting display which produces light in the visible and invisible spectrum at oscillating frequencies known to attract most mosquito species.
Mosquitoes also navigate to the source of the air plume enriched with Octenol, a synthetic component of human perspiration which emanates from the base of the trap. The color, shape and vibration of the trap and the texture of its exhaust skirt excite the mosquitoes and cause them to begin probing .
The slow-release CO2 gas system replicate a key element of human respiration by releasing quantities of pure CO2 at varying rates over fixed intervals to produce a concentration gradient in the air plume emanating from the lower part of the trap. Mosquitoes use this concentration gradient to navigate their way to the trap.
Finally internal infra red heat sources cause the mosquitoes to enter the trap where they are swept through a high speed fan and into either a wet catch container or a catch bag where they expire.
The four units will be placed at strategic locations around the clubhouse lawns. If we find them effective, the program will be extended to other areas of the property.
Should anyone be interested in purchasing a unit for their campsite, they are available from Canadian Tire.
Click here for the Megacatch Ultra ($549.99)
Click here for the Megacatch Premier ($399.99 – no CO2 emission)
