Pest control going strong in Cypress County despite delays

Posted on July 16, 2026 by Ryan Dahlman

Southern Albertta Newspapers

While a rainy June slightly delayed some work for Cypress County Agricultural Services, the team was back at it to make the most of the growing season and keep pests at bay.

As part of a quarterly report presented to county council on July 7, agricultural supervisor Lisa Sulz explained that while the rain had prevented workers from getting a jumpstart on spraying to control different weeds in the region, they have been able to complete a significant amount of digging and pulling.

“We’ve pulled plenty of baby’s breath and nodding thistles, there’s been pale iris in the creek, so they’ve pulled that out,” said Sulz. “Right now, saltlover is still very tiny. So we’re going to go and keep inspecting until we can actually see it a little bit better.”

It was noted that the federal government has approved use of drones for weed-control spraying, provided the substance in question is labelled for aerial application.

However, the county still needs to wait for provincial regulations to come out before it can proceed with that option.

The county has also yet to receive any strychnine despite it being reinstated for emergency use, as it takes time to produce and distribute, but Sulz noted all proper procedures for producers to acquire it are already in place.

Only one potential report of rats was filed in the past quarter, which proved to be Richardson’s ground squirrels.

Sulz warned that wildflower packets available online are contributing to the weed population in the region. Many of these packets include several non-native species, including baby’s breath, which is considered a noxious weed.