Fighting black flies

It's expensive, but Peter Boland thinks ridding Lab. West of pesky black flies is worth every penny.

The Superintendent of Public Works for Labrador City explained Labrador City and Wabush have been trying to control flies in the twin towns for years, and the program is highly successful.

Boland noted the person who usually conducts sweep counts to determine the success of the program wasn't able to finish the job this year because of personal reasons, but he suspects the 2009 program was on par with other years.

"We don't have any (concrete) numbers, but based on our observation, this year was similar to other years," he said. "In 2008, we compared the number of black flies in town to outside and there was a 90 per cent reduction in town. I'd say it was similar this year."

Boland said the $70,000 program is cost-shared between Labrador City and Wabush, and only treats black fly larvae.

The treatments, he pointed out, can't kill eggs or adult black flies - just larvae - but the contractor - Pestalto Environment - usually starts treating the streams and lakes around town at the end of May, and retreats the areas every three to four weeks for a total of four applications.

The contractor, he said, sprays the water bodies by ground and air - helicopters are used in hard to reach areas of Labrador City and Wabush - and the process works well.

"I'm pleased with it," Boland stated. "We don't hear complaints. Flies are a fact of life, but without the program I think people realize it would be a lot worse."

He said residents only have to compare the number of flies in town to those around their cabins to see the difference, and he wouldn't mind treating mosquitoes as well.

Boland admitted mosquito treatment could get expensive, but the Town is constantly reviewing its programs, and looking for proposals to see if jobs like the fly control program can be improved.

"It's a quality of life issue," he pointed out. "People need to be able to get out in the summer, walk around, enjoy everything the town has to offer especially when it comes to recreation events like the Relay for Life and Canada Day. Those events would not be successful without this program."