Saskatoon’s mosquitoes won’t bug people much longer

It’s the time of year when people battle between enjoying the last throes of summer in the great outdoors, and keeping pesky mosquitoes at bay.

The bugs have been more active over the past several weeks than at any other point this summer, but their days are numbered.

“Things change quite quickly when you have cooler temperatures. So mosquitoes, even if they’re out there, they won’t be feeding,” said Jeff Boone, the city’s supervisor of pest management.

Saskatoon started the summer with relatively low mosquito numbers compared to last year.

The situation changed drastically in July, however, when rain created standing water – a perfect breeding ground for the mosquito population to take hold.

Since then, Saskatoon has been dealing with a spike in mosquito numbers.

While the species of mosquito carrying West Nile virus is still buzzing around Saskatoon, numbers are lower this year.

“It’s one to two per trap, per night, compared to high years, when it’s been in the hundreds,” Boone said.

“This is the time of year when they are still active; although, in the later part of August, they start to go into dormancy.”

Boone added there are now also more predators, such as dragon flies, feeding on mosquitoes.