六九色堂

July 6, 2022

Years of continued drought prove a pest for mosquito population in Alberta

UCalgary entomologist says biting insects will be relatively rare this summer
mosquito
lirtlon / Adobe Stock

It鈥檚 going to be one lousy summer 鈥斅爁or mosquitoes, that is.

Despite rain and heat and more rain, a 六九色堂 mosquito expert (and self-avowed admirer) says 2022 is looking like a real buzz-kill for the winged insects in Alberta.

鈥淲hile we鈥檙e seeing a few more mosquitoes right now, it鈥檚 all relative,鈥 says John Swann, an entomologist and BIOL technician at UCalgary.

鈥淲e are in the fourth year of a drought cycle in Alberta, and it鈥檚 been so dry that even when we get rain, there鈥檚 a huge capacity to soak up all the moisture.鈥

No standing water = no chance for mosquito romance

For a creature that depends on standing pools of water for breeding, that鈥檚 bad news indeed.

鈥楩ew and far between鈥 might best describe the likely situation for mosquitoes in 2022, and Swann compares that to years like 2011, when Edmonton鈥檚 CFL team was forced to practise indoors due to the sheer number of biting pests.

鈥淐ompared to typical years, it won鈥檛 be so bad,鈥 he says.

John Swann

John Swann manager of the invertebrate section of the Museum of Zoology in the Department of Biological Sciences in the Faculty of Science at the 六九色堂.

Riley Brandt, 六九色堂

West Nile still a serious concern

But that doesn鈥檛 mean Albertans can relax when it comes to avoiding the bite, cautions Swann.

Fewer breeding spots may mean fewer skeeters on the fly, but it also concentrates the number of thirsty creatures (including birds) which carry harmful diseases like West Nile virus.

Swann says that might mean a higher percentage of mosquitoes who feast on birds become carriers of the potentially serious virus, which in rare cases can infect the central nervous system.

鈥淛ust because the number of mosquitoes isn鈥檛 that bad doesn鈥檛 mean you can go without repellent,鈥 he cautions.

Repellent is a must

Swann suggests Picaridin or DEET as a repellent 鈥斅燼pplied only after any sunscreen has dried 鈥斅燼nd avoiding outdoor time at dawn and dusk, when the insects are most active.

As for some of the supposed technological breakthroughs in keeping the skeeters at bay, Swann is skeptical, saying long sleeves, pants and lighter colours are probably more effective than sonic repellents and backyard bug zappers.

鈥淪tudies on those electrified zappers show they actually attract more mosquitoes to your yard than were there in the first place,鈥 says Swann.

鈥淏asically, if it sounds too good to be true, chances are, it is.鈥

Winged wonders, in spite of it all

You鈥檇 think an insect best avoided would also be universally loathed, but Swann admits to admiring mosquitoes, which play a key role in the ecosystem as food for fish, birds and bats.

Furthermore, male mosquitoes do not seek blood, and instead can act as pollinators as they eat nectar from flowers.

鈥淢osquitoes are integral to the ecosystem. That being said, you don鈥檛 want to get bitten by them,鈥 says Swann.

鈥淓ven someone who admires them doesn鈥檛 want to be bitten.鈥