With summer starting, it can be easy to focus on the positives such as warmer weather, trips to the beach, ice-cream and more.
Unfortunately, the joys of summer are also accompanied by a much less exciting realization: mosquitoes are back.
And the bad news is there may be more of them this year.
According to Orkin Canada pest control, mosquitoes may become more pervasive this summer due to a mild winter mixed with stagnant water from excess snow and rain, potentially creating abundant breeding grounds.
The good news is that there are things you can do to protect your home from these unwelcome guests.
Trimming vegetation and eliminating stagnant water in outside areas like pools, fountains and gutters can decrease breeding grounds. Additionally, replacing outdoor bulbs with yellow bulbs can help, as they are less attractive to mosquitoes.
While these pesky creatures can be an annoyance, they can also be dangerous. Mosquito bites can transmit several illnesses, including West Nile virus, malaria and Zika virus.
UBC researcher Dan Peach has spent his career studying the more than 50 mosquito species of B.C.
He is now working on a citizen-led project to learn more about the provinces mosquito populations in the hopes using his findings to determine how they may shift in the coming decades due to climate change.
Research from Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) suggests that Canadians will likely face an increased risk of mosquito-borne diseases in the years ahead thanks to climate change.
More information on how to keep mosquitoes from sucking the fun out of summer can be found at orkincanada.ca.
RELATED: Regional approach coming to control mosquitoes in Okanagan-Similkameen
