New 'Mosquito Terminator' project aims to do away with irritating insects
The Alberta Birds of Prey Centre is home to the region's first 'Mosquito Terminator' concept, which is simply a nesting platform for species that feed on the world's most hated insects.
The concept is simple; the more barn swallows and bats that can find safe and peaceful shelter, the more mosquitoes they will eat, effectively decreasing the blood sucking bug's population in the area.
"Nobody loves mosquitoes other than those that eat them," said Kelly Weatherall, Fortis Alberta senior planner and the mastermind behind the nesting platform.
"Barn swallows tend to nest under people's houses and they tend to be over doors or windows," said Weathereall. "They make a mess, and people try to get rid of them so I'm thinking well, here we want them, so let's make a spot for them."
The nesting platforms are designed to withstand southern Alberta's fierce wind while effectively simulating the roof of a barn.
With the birds hunting during the day and bats going out to eat at night, the concept is essentially a 24/7 mosquito killing operation.
"Barn swallows and especially bats are just voracious consumers of mosquitoes and so we all know how bugs like that really irritate us and it's good to use a real natural control," said Colin Weir, the executive director for the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre.
"One of the things that we want to do at the centre is, we want this to be a place where there are different ideas that people can actually take and use them in their own farms, acreages, and even urban backyards," Weir said.
Mosquito terminator
UNVEILED THURSDAY
The project was unveiled on Thursday, and no birds or bats have moved in just yet.
But the goal is for the project to take flight by making this a more mainstream approach to mosquito control while offering a safe space for barn swallows and bats.
"It is a pretty neat looking structure and it is a unique design so there's a lot to be learned," said Fortis Alberta president and CEO Janine Sullivan.
"That's the whole idea these days is to understand how projects like this can help us really sustain the environment and support wildlife."
An individual swallow or bat can eat up to a thousand mosquitoes per day, which is a promising statistic for the project.
Fortis Alberta is the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre's biggest supporter having donated $720,000 since 2006.
During Thursday's unveiling of the nesting platform, the company presented the centre with another $50,000 cheque to cover operating costs during the centres' most challenging year ever.
"They've just been such a wonderful, supportive corporate sponsor over the years. They're making a meaningful difference to the environment here in southern Alberta," said Weir.
The centre opened its doors on May 15 and is open to the public seven days a week from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.