Why Calgary's potentially 'normal' mosquito season might feel worse than it is
CBC
It's time to pull out the bug spray.
After a mild several years for mosquito activity in Calgary due to prolonged droughts, the periodic rain lately means the bloodsuckers are out in full swing.
Calgary entomologist John Swann said at best (or at worst, depending on how you see it), this is looking to be a "normal year" for mosquitoes.
But since we've had it easy in recent years, Calgarians might feel like they're swatting away mosquitoes more than they're used to.
And he warns it could get worse in the coming weeks.
"I look at the next two weeks and yes, sure enough, we're getting periodic rain maybe every three days. And that's what you need for summer mosquitoes," said Swann, who works at ABI Environmental Services.
"Now is the time to start getting cautious."
The City of Calgary, which monitors mosquito numbers each year, said the rainfall throughout June and warmer temperatures recently has resulted in an increase in mosquitoes. They expect it to peak by mid-July, but say the trapping data shows a typical number of mosquitoes for this time of year.
But some Calgarians say it's been quiet on the mosquito front until what seems like a recent explosion over the last week or so.
Calgarian Alan Chu noticed the sudden surge of mosquitoes in the last several days — and so did his family visiting from Ontario.
"The first couple of nights they were like, 'I can't believe you guys can just leave the doors open.' We don't have any screens on our back patio doors," said Chu.
"Then in the last couple of days, they're like, 'Oh, no, not so incredible,' because we started to get mosquitoes inside the house."
"They're the young, spry ones. They're just all over."
His wife doesn't like the smell of the chemicals in traditional bug repellents, so in recent days she's stocked up on other solutions.
Ontario’s police watchdog is investigating after an officer involved shooting at Danforth Go station early Saturday morning, said Toronto police.
Montreal officials will hold a ceremony to mark the 36th anniversary of the Polytechnique massacre today.
The City of Regina's proposal to build a roadway through the McKell Wascana Conservation Park should be discarded, local conservationists say.
A holiday event that began in 2020 during the pandemic with three floats on pickup trucks has now become one of Kelowna’s big winter events, drawing thousands to the city’s downtown core.
WARNING: This story details allegations of child abuse.
It’s been hard to keep track of how many legal challenges and active court proceedings the United Conservative government has tried to quash or pre-emptively block in the last six weeks, but let’s try to tally:
Margaret Walker, the emcee of a Waterloo vigil commemorating the victims of the Montreal massacre, doesn't feel enough is being done to reflect on the killings and address gender-based violence.
The P.E.I. Humane Society says it is doing far more fundraising than it used to, and rising expenses — including the cost of animal medications — are a big reason why.
Ottawa is staring down a court-ordered deadline to submit a new plan to reform the on-reserve child welfare system, as a group of First Nations leaders and children’s advocates prepare a competing proposal.
An underpass revitalization project that was meant to pay tribute to the people of Parkdale has instead deteriorated into “a garbage dump,” according to nearby residents.
A young man has been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm after a fire at a frat party near Western University that injured five sorority sisters, including two seriously, late Tuesday night.
The massive deal to combine one of Hollywood's oldest studios with a streaming giant hasn't even been approved yet, but it's already riling multiple related industries and politicians concerned about monopolies and media concentration.
Mi'kmaq chiefs and a former Nova Scotia justice minister are criticizing the provincial government for directing police to crack down on illegal cannabis, saying the order undermines relations with Indigenous Peoples.