The Agricultural Pest Act of the Province of Alberta governs the designation and control of all pests. The Act sets out regulations to prevent the establishment, provide for control, and prevent or reduce damage caused by a declared pest.

Lacombe County has developed a number of programs and policies to deal with the following pests:

Skunks
Under the  Skunk Trap Requests Policy, skunk traps are loaned to County residents out at no cost. However, a deposit is required.

Magpies
The Alberta Government offers instructions on how to construct your own magpie trap.

Rats (Gov't Resource)
Alberta maintains rat free status as a result of a vigilant rat control program that has been in place for many years. If you see or suspect that you have seen a rat, contact the Agriculture Department.

Richardson Ground Squirrels (Gov't Resource)
Understanding the habits of these creatures will assist in their control. While Lacombe County does not retail any control products for the control of these pests, effective control products are available from many agricultural retail outlets throughout the county. All are effective if used early in the season.

Northern Pocket Gophers
These pests are particularly hard to control. To date, the only effective method has been trapping which is time consuming. Traps are available at agricultural retail outlets throughout the county.

Coyotes
In some cases we can assist producers with problem coyotes. The  Coyote Control Devices and Chemicals Policy provides for the use of registered coyote control products in cases where coyotes have been harassing or there have been confirmed kills of livestock. It is important to remember that these devices are non-discriminate and will only be utilized in situations where the Manager or Assistant Manager of Agriculture Services feels they are safe to do so. The legislation governing the use of these products is specific to livestock predation and cannot be used in the case of harassing or predation of pets.

Beaver
Beaver activity in Lacombe County can have a major impact on roads and the associated drainage works. Under the  Beaver Flood Control Policy, Lacombe County will carry out control of beavers when their activity impacts County infrastructure. While Lacombe County does not control beavers on private lands, we can provide the names of licensed trappers and blasters certified to do this work.

The Agriculture Department assists both the Provincial and Federal Governments with several pest surveys each year, including Grasshoppers, Bertha Armyworms, Lygus Bugs. In addition, we undertake a Fusarium survey and assist with the Provincial Crop Report each summer.