More mosquitoes buzzing around the Lower Mainland this year
Posted July 13, 2022 10:17 pm.
Last Updated July 13, 2022 10:36 pm.
If you feel like you’re swatting away more mosquitoes than usual this summer, you’re not imagining things.
A company that specializes in mosquito control says there are more of those pesky insects buzzing around the Lower Mainland.
Shaun Calver, operations manager with Morrow BioScience, says this year more of the insects are invading the area.
“This is considered an above normal year and it’s all directly related to the higher than normal Fraser River. More flooding translates to more mosquito larvae which ultimately translates to more adult mosquitos flying around,” said Calver.
Calver says his company goes after floodwater mosquitoes by both hand and helicopter by targeting mosquito larvae.
Related link
“We do get approximately 85 to 90 per cent of all these mosquitoes, however in a high water year that 10 to 15 per cent (we don’t get) is translating to a significant amount. And obviously the annoyance numbers for mosquitoes right now are quite high.”
Calver recommends avoiding going outside at dawn and dusk, using repellent, and wearing light-coloured clothing.
“Mosquitoes can carry West Nile virus which can infect birds, horses and humans. It is extremely rare in B.C. and there have been no cases of locally acquired West Nile virus in B.C. in people in the past several years,” the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) said in a statement
They add that if you are travelling, “be aware of the potential health risks including diseases that are spread by mosquitoes and take steps to avoid being bitten and getting an infection.”
