This time of year, as weather warms up and grass starts turning green, many Calgarians are asking the question: Will residents be swatting away a bad mosquito season?
Experts are working on the answer.
John Swann, manager of the invertebrate section at the University of Calgary’s Museum of Zoology said brown grass is an indication spring mosquitoes are late to arrive.
“We would think by now, this should be fairly lush and green,” Swann said. “Realistically we are three to four weeks behind where we should be.”
“I still have snowbergs melting at the side of my driveway.”
However, Swann said it’s a good idea to keep the bug spray handy.
The City of Calgary agrees, with officials saying that while mosquitoes have been late to arrive, they can easily catch up on lost time with a few days of wet and warm weather.
“This time of year the average is about 15 degrees, and we’ve been seeing 18 or 20,” said Alexandra Pepperdine, a mosquito technician for the city.
“That’s getting the mosquito development moving a little faster than it might typically be this time of year.”
Pepperdine was out this week counting larvae and said it’s expected they’ll start buzzing in one to two weeks.
Temporary standing water is ideal for mosquito breeding, she added, so the overland flooding around Calgary this spring could create breeding grounds.
Within Calgary, the city will begin spraying for mosquitoes soon, using helicopter and ground workers.
“We use a bacterial product that specifically targets mosquitoes,” Pepperdine said. “So that means that it’s safe for other aquatic organisms in the water or humans or mammals. The larvae are required to eat it and that’s when it get’s activated.”