USask research: What’s the buzz about mosquitos this year?

With mosquito populations peaking well above the 10-year average in Saskatchewan and double last year’s count at this time, the buzz across Saskatchewan is how bad will it get, and what we can do to help enjoy our time outside.

Some of Western Canada’s leading researchers in the field have offered tips and tricks of the trade for getting through a challenging mosquito season. Providing insight are Dr. Sean Prager (PhD) of the College of Agriculture and Bioresources and Dr. Emily Jenkins (PhD, DVM) of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine with the University of Saskatchewan (USask) Insect Research Facility. Also weighing in are former USask post-doctoral research colleagues Dr. Jumari Snyman (PhD), now a research associate in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta, and USask adjunct professor Dr. Loki Snyman (PhD), the curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the Royal Alberta Museum.

1. How much has the plethora of precipitation produced the multiplying of mosquitos across the province?

Sean Prager: Mosquitoes need water to reproduce because they have aquatic stages in their life-cycle. The eggs are laid in, on, or near water depending on species. So, more water means more places for females to lay eggs. Heat also matter since insects—at least mosquitoes—go through their life cycle more quickly as it gets hotter. The City of Saskatoon and Regina monitor mosquitoes, including the species that carries West Nile virus. Those numbers are currently many fold higher than average. However, the long-term trend will depend on the continuing high precipitation. If it suddenly comes dry for an extended period, the numbers could return to normal.

Loki Snyman: Once the rain stops and it heats up, mosquito larvae will likely quickly result in biting adults. It is also worth noting that the heavy rains might have flushed larvae from their otherwise undisturbed habitats (think of stormwater drains or stagnant pools in the vicinity of rivers). These habitats might overflow and kill lots of larvae in the process, that might result in lower numbers of some species.