Near-record rainfall in Calgary prompts soaring number of complaints about mosquitoes

With more than twice the normal monthly amount of rain falling on Calgary in July of this year, outdoor enthusiasts in the city say there are a lot more mosquitos too.

“I hate mosquitoes,” said Hayato Nagashima as he and a friend prepared to take a walk in Fish Creek Park on Tuesday.

It’s a familiar refrain heard from many Calgarians following several weeks of unseasonably soggy weather.

“I can’t even go into our backyard without getting eaten alive,” said Tracy Elliott-Suliak.  “We tried to go for a walk in the bird sanctuary the other day and I got chased right out. It’s just, it’s bad.”

John Sohigian, an assistant professor in the faculty of veterinary medicine at the University of Calgary, confirms there are a lot more of the pests buzzing around the city lately — likely because of all the rain that fell during the month of July.

In a normal year, Calgary would see about 66.2 mm of precipitation in July, but this year the city experienced its third wettest July on record with 167.5 mm of rain falling on the city — making in the third wettest July on record.

Aside from being extremely annoying, some mosquitoes can also carry nasty viruses.

“So one of the things that we are doing in my lab now is we’re testing mosquitoes for West Nile virus, as well as for a group of viruses called California Cerro group viruses — so these are two of the viruses that we’re somewhat concerned about being in Alberta,” added Sohigian.

In most cases people who become infected with the West Nile virus won’t even notice it — but in rare cases, West Nile can lead to severe illnesses that affects the brain or spinal cord.