Common Pests Control

Invasive Fish Species, can be found in Kinsmen pond and Strathmore Lake.

Visit the Storm Ponds page for more information about fishing in these locations and what to do if you catch an invasive species:

• Storm Ponds FAQ

For information on invasive fish species visit the Alberta.ca Prussian Carp infographic. You can also visit the government of Alberta Invasive Fish page.

• It hatches on fruit trees, common shrubs like cotoneasters and lilacs, as well as popular landscaping trees like willow and poplar.
• When the insects hatch, they feed until they form a hard, armored scale – that looks like an oyster shell.

Symptoms of infestations don’t usually show until the shrub or tree is heavily infested.

• You can spot infestations by their signature scaly-look on branches.
• Your tree may also show signs of infestation such as yellowing leaves, die-back or dead patches in your shrubs. 
• Once they reach the scale stage these pests are difficult to eradicate. Their hard shell protects them from predators and most pesticides. 

To prevent Oystershell Scale, keep trees healthy and water frequently. 

• Inspect your trees and shrubs regularly for crawlers.
• If you catch Oystershell Scale during the crawler stage, pesticides, natural predators, and horticultural oils can help eradicate them.
• This stage is observed in early June and only lasts for one week to ten days, so it is important to act quickly. 

Prune back branches infected with scale. As with all insect infested or disease infected tree and shrub trimmings, bag these branches and dispose of them in your black cart.

• The best time to prune trees is in early spring and autumn.
• If you’re uncomfortable safely pruning your own trees, contact a local certified arborist to give you a hand. Learn more here. 

Richardson Ground Squirrels can be cute to watch, but extensive burrows from large populations are a safety concern for residents and pets. Our Parks Team evaluates our pest management every year and we expect to see significant progress in controlling gopher populations in these priority areas.

Richardson's Ground Squirrels are not gophers, however the term gopher is used commonly to refer to these rodents that create large colonies in the ground, resulting in holes in agricultural areas and elsewhere. Read more"

• Richardson's Ground Squirrel Fact Sheet (Medicine River Wildlife Centre, Spruce View AB)

The Town works with contractors, actively implementing a pest management plan to take action on Richardson Ground Squirrels. Two control methods will be used: Bait stations and a foaming, environmentally friendly product.