Mosquito counts are up in Saskatoon, and one entomologist says easing drought conditions could be helping drive the increase. The city’s latest mosquito count shows there were about 10 biting female mosquitoes per trap from May 24 to 30, double the number recorded during the same period last year and five times the 10-year average. City of Saskatoon entomologist Georgiana Antochi-Crihan said mosquitoes rely on rain and standing water to breed, so more rain can help support larger mosquito populations. “Our crews are starting to see more water accumulate in places we haven’t seen in the past couple of years, so there’s just more habitat out there,” Antochi-Crihan said. “We can continue to expect to see more mosquitoes, especially if it continues to be a rainy season.” Some people say they’ve noticed more mosquitoes than usual this year. “They are really bad this year. We live out of town, and they’re terrible out there,” Jason Hanley said. “It’s a catch-22. We have the rain. We really needed it. But of course, that brings on the mosquitoes.” “I’ve been getting bites all over. I went camping a little while back, absolutely covered. I feel like bug spray isn’t really cutting it anymore,” Ethan Sutton said. Antochi-Crihan recommends removing standing water around homes to help keep mosquito numbers down, including from flowerpot trays, pet bowls and eavestroughs. “Eavestroughs, if you haven’t cleaned them out, that’s a great spot for mosquitoes. The leaves collect in there, and that creates food and water so it’s a mosquito hotel,” she said. For water sources that cannot easily be drained, she said residents may want to consider mosquito-control products.
