Cypress County Agricultural Services

Pest & Disease Control

There are many pests that can affect agricultural production.  These include rodents (ground squirrels, rats), diseases (Dutch Elm Disease, Fusarium, BSE), insects (grasshoppers), and vertebrates (skunks, coyotes).  Various activities of the ASB help residents and producers deal with these problem pests and nuisances.

West Nile Virus

While there is no longer a West Nile Virus control program Cypress County does encourage all residents to actively take steps to protect themselves. More information can be found on the Alberta Health and Wellness website.

Richardson's Ground Squirrels

Since 2008 2% Liquid Strychnine has been available to agricultural producers with a severe infestation of Richardson's Ground Squirrels. The Health Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency allowed for an Emergency Registration of 2% Liquid Strychnine Concentrate due to an extremely high Richardson's Ground Squirrel population, causing severe damage to crops, hay and grass.

In Cypress County:

• - the product will only be sold to agricultural producers for use on agricultural land

• - producers may be eligible to purchase up to 1 case (24 bottles) of product at a time

• - the product is sold on a cost recovery basis only

• - producers must take the product home and mix and use it as they need it

• - the product is only available from early spring to mid summer

• - all unused product must be returned before the end of the Emergency Registration each year  

Please watch the Cypress Courier for an ad indicating that 2% Liquid Strychnine is available

   The County also sells the pest control product EXIT, and has an application unit  available for  producers to rent to asphyxiate gophers. This option is ideal for anyone not wanting to handle poison or who is not eligible to purchase Strychnine.

Annual Rat Inspections & Control

The Norway rat is a declared pest in Alberta.  In the early '50's, the province instituted an 18 mile (29 km) wide buffer zone the entire length of the province, adjacent to Saskatchewan.  This has effectively prevented rats from establishing in Alberta.  Rats have not been found in Cypress County for over 20 years.  Therefore, the inspection zone is now 12 miles wide (19 km) and all yard sites or buildings are inspected once each year by the County Pest Control Officer.

Dutch Elm Disease

Dutch Elm Disease (DED) is a deadly disease that can affect elm trees.  Some newer varieties have been bred with DED resistance.  Alberta is currently free of this disease, but it is close by in both Montana and Saskatchewan.  DED is caused by a fungus that clogs the elm tree's water conducting system, causing its leaves to wilt and the tree to die, usually within one or two seasons.  The fungus is spread by elm bark beetles, which breed and lay eggs under the bark of dead or dying elm wood.   When a new generation of beetles emerge from the diseased tree, they carry fungal spores with them when they travel and feed on healthy elm trees.  

Fusarium Prevention & Control

Caused by the fungus Fusarium graminearum, fusarium head blight (FHB), is the most destructive fungal disease of barley and wheat in Canada.   The prevalence and severity of fusarium head blight in Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan has caused major economic losses to producers and the grain export industry. Fusarium graminearum infection greatly decreases yield, seed quality and produces mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol and zearalenone).   Action needs to be taken now to recognize its symptoms, prevent its importation and control it when found.  One very important action for farmers to take is to test their seed.  Lab testing is the only way to know for sure whether seed is infected with Fusarium.  Seed samples can be dropped off at the 11-22 Co-op Seed Cleaning Plant.  They will courier them to 20/20 Seed Labs in Nisku, who now have a DNA based fusarium test for wheat and corn.  This test only takes 2 days, while the traditional culture plate method takes at least 4 days.  Most local elevators will also send samples in for their customers.

Grasshopper Control

Grasshoppers are a declared pest in Alberta, because they can cause significant damage to agricultural crops if their populations get high enough.  Due to a natural population cycle, a couple of dry summers and a mild winter, there was a  moderate to severe grasshopper infestation forecast for 2002.  As a result, Alberta Agriculture, Food & Rural Development announced a Grasshopper Control Program.  Since the 2003 grasshopper forecast indicated a severe infestation, the Provincial and Federal governments announced a 2003 Grasshopper Control Assistance Program.  The 2004 grasshopper forecast map showed another year of heavy infestations.  However,  as a result of cool, wet weather in June, the infestation never occurred, except in isolated locations.  Details about the 2004 grasshopper situation can be found at Dan Johnson's University of Lethbridge site.   The 2005 grasshopper forecast shows a decline in the population, as does the 2006 grasshopper forecast and the 2007 grasshopper forecast.    Permission is granted to any landholder in Cypress County to spray road allowances adjacent to fields they will be spraying, for control of grasshoppers.  The County does not spray any road allowances or roadsides for control of grasshoppers.