Courtesy of the Langley Times/Advance:

Mosquitoes and drones – they both fly and emit a distinctive humming sound.But members of the Fort Langley Community Association (FLCA) were hoping to pit drones against mosquitoes this year, expanding options to spray the biting insects’ larvae.Unfortunately, the provincial government says it needs more time to create rules and procedures for drone-based spraying, so programs won’t start until 2027 at the earliest.

Alison Hewitt and Sarah Lane, with the FLCA, said that fears of a bad year for mosquitoes have been present in Fort Langley since 2022, which saw swarms of the bugs descend on the neighbourhood.

Mosquito eggs can lie dormant in the soil for years, and have to be submerged by water to hatch. In 2022, the Fraser River was very high thanks to a large snowpack in the B.C. Interior. After multiple heat waves, the river crested three separate times in the summer, and each rise in the level released a new swarm of mosquitoes.

Lane, who moved to the Fort in 2021, remembered running from the door of her home to the car to avoid the insects.

“It was like a sprint to see who would be safe,” she said.

Hewitt, who has lived there 26 years, doesn’t remember a worse year for mosquitoes.

The bad year caused major discomfort for local residents, who spent much of the summer indoors. It also hit local merchants badly, as day trippers and campers stayed away in droves once they heard of the mosquitoes.

That’s why the FLCA has been lobbying to add a new tool to the fight against the mosquitoes.

For many years, Morrow BioSicence has been contracted to do nuisance mosquito control for Metro Vancouver, including around Langley

They use a non-toxic, naturally occurring bacteria that kills off 85 to 90 per cent of mosquito larvae before they hatch.

The product is spread by hand and by helicopter on shorelines, but in recent years, Morrow has expanded into using drones for many of its other projects.

The FLCA contacted the province, hoping that Morrow would be able to use its drones to target hard-to-access areas for mosquito control, hopefully preventing another bad year for the bugs. They sent a letter asking for approval of drone use to be expedited.

Unfortunately, the Ministry of the Environment has confirmed that won’t happen this year.

A letter back to the FLCA said that ministry staff were working on new policy and training materials, and that right now there aren’t appropriate certifications for dispersing pesticides via drone.

In response to questions from the Langley Advance Times, the Ministry of Environment sent a statement saying it has started work on developing options for pesticides and drones, under the B.C. Integrated Pest Management Act.

“This two-phase project will include a technical assessment, policy analysis, certification and training review, and engagement with interested parties to refine and implement the recommended path to authorize the use of this novel application technology,” the ministry statement said.

“Until this policy and certification review is complete, using drones for pesticide application is not authorized in B.C., even if the federal pesticide label permits the use,” the ministry added.

Phase one is expected to wrap up this fall, and phase two timelines will be clarified then, but is expected to take an additional year, meaning the drone versus mosquito battle may not take place in 2027, either.