‘Perfect weekend:’ Mosquitoes at bay as warm weather shines

It’s shaping up to be one of those rare occasions when people can enjoy the warm weather without having to layer on bug spray.

Jeff Boone, pest management supervisor with the City of Saskatoon, said temperatures are surging before mosquito numbers have had a chance to do the same.

“If we don’t get the wind and we get the sunshine, we’re going to stumble upon the perfect weekend,” Boone said.

He noted, however, mosquito numbers really ramp up if there’s substantial rain in May and June.

“Control this time of year is particularly important,” Boone said. “Even though people aren’t seeing adult mosquitoes, this is when the larvae are starting to develop in the water.”

Boone said pest control experts are staying on top of the situation by treating bodies of water with a type of bacteria that acts as a biological insecticide.

“When it’s introduced to the water, the mosquitoes feed on it and it kills them that way,” he said.

As for the mosquitoes that carry the West Nile Virus, Boone said people in Saskatchewan don’t typically need worry about those until August.