MAJOR RECOMLEN DATION

It is the recommendation of this Manager that the Fraser
Valley Mosquito Control Board seriously consider the hiring of
a full-time Manager on a long-term contract in future contracts.
This recommendation is based on the following facts: ‘

1. The chemical used for our larvaciding program, Abate,
appears to be ineffective in many cases this season,
This may be due either to our mosquito species having
developed resistance to it, or to the fact that in many
areas in which it is applied, the surface foliage does
not allow it to penetrate through to the breeding pools.
The Abate capsules are no longer being distributed in

‘this area, and current stock of these capsules has been
totally exhausted. The chemical Malathion also doeg
not appear to be effective, giving only very temporary
relief or no relief at all in most cases.

Since the Manager is presently only hired on a
6 month contract, and since his time is spent fully
on other aspects of mosquito control, he has no tine
‘under the present arrangement to rescarch the .
possibility of using alternate chemicals or to test
whether or not the chemicals currently being used are
Still effective. This work should and must be done
between now and the following March.

Should these recommendations not be followed, it
is my professional opinion that the 1975 mosquito
control season may well be a disasterous one from a
control viewpoint, particularly if our present
larvaciding program fails,

2. It has become abundantly clear from the past 3: years
‘that the position of Manager has been increasingly
one of public relations. This is mainly in the form of
groups or organizations whose work is directly involved
with our control operations. Although I have attempted to
meet with as many of these Groups as my schedule has
permitted, the present 6 months contract does not
permit the effective carrying out of such relations and
communications, Although many good points have come
out of such nectings, the fact that they are held
Guring the control season negates any effective measure
to arise from such meetings, since they cannot be
implemented during the same year, The Manager
mect with these groups during the Fall, thus giving
him ample time to analyze the usefullness of what they
recomend and nake reconmendations to the Board during
the following Spring meeting, Two examples which
are pertinent here are the Beekeepers, and the citizens
of the Dewdney-Al:-uette Regional District( who have
an extensive mosquito problem which at present is not
adequately controlled),