With heat warnings in place across the province, Saskatchewan’s insect population could see an increase.
In particular, those outdoors might notice some more mosquitoes buzzing around.
Sean Prager, associate professor in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan, says temperature increases cause quicker insect development.
Prager said extreme heat has the ability to kill insects, but it would require temperatures much higher than what can typically be found in Saskatchewan.
There are several dozens of types of mosquitoes in the province but often aren’t thought of because the majority of them don’t bite people.
“They feed on other things, and so we tend to not really be very cognizant of them as lay people,” Prager said.
“Most of them will increase their populations with increased temperature.”
Rainfall is another major factor in the growth of the mosquito population since mosquitoes are aquatic when they are larvae.
“Baby mosquitoes live in puddles of water and the eggs are usually laid out in the water or right next to it. Because of that, we generally expect populations to increase – we expect there to be more mosquitoes when you’ve had more rainfall events,” he said.
Although that’s what generally happens, Prager said it can depend on the species and some like to lay their eggs in ponds, containers and tree holes.
Fortunately, Prager says mosquitoes and Saskatchewan are unlikely to carry West Nile Virus.
The Ministry of Health conducts surveillance for West Nile every summer by monitoring Culex tarsalis – which is a type of mosquito that carries the virus.
“Consistently warmer temperatures will decrease the amount of time it takes for Culex tarsalis mosquitoes to develop. It also significantly shortens West Nile virus (WNV) development time in mosquitoes,” wrote the ministry in a statement to 980 CJME.
“Warmer temperatures increase the potential risk of WNV transmission if the virus is present and other conditions are favourable,” said the ministry.
The government provides weekly reports on its findings and as of this season, it has not recorded any cases of West Nile in Saskatchewan this year as of July 6. 2024.
The province says people can reduce their exposure to mosquitoes by reducing the amount of standing water around their homes and yards, ensuring door and window screens are tight and free of holes and avoiding being outdoors during peak mosquito hours (dusk and dawn).