Bugs: what to know and how to deal with them

Longer days and warmer weather are telltale signs of spring in Saskatchewan.

But as people engage in more outdoor activities, they’ll also have to deal with annoying bugs.

Provincial Insect and pest management specialist James Tansey spoke with guest host Kevin Martel about what critters people can expect to encounter and how to deal with them.

Ticks
Tansey said that it’s not too early for people to start seeing ticks.

“As a matter of fact, I was in my yard yesterday and picked up about a half dozen ticks,” he said. “Yeah, they are definitely active.”

Tansey said their activity begins at about 4 or 5 C.
“So in warmer parts of North America where you don’t get a hard freeze, they can actually stay active all winter,”

Mosquitoes

One of the most despised insects around. Mosquitoes have ruined many-an-outing.

But just how many can we expect to see this spring/summer?

“It all depends,” Tansey said. “Like many insects (and) arthropods their life cycles, their numbers are dictated by weather parameters.”

There are multiple mosquito species in the province, but Tansey said that two of the most important ones are culex and Aedes mosquitoes.

“Aedes are probably the most common mosquito group in the province,” Tansey said.

Tansey said they can lay eggs that last through winter and that in the summer, females seek out low-lying areas that are prone to flooding to lay eggs on the soil.

He said Saskatchewan had a decent amount of snow this year, and the melt will create conditions that are conducive to hatching larvae.

“What’s interesting about that is they’re not all hatched by these conditions,” he said. “There will be a portion of the population that will wait for spring rains to supplement those water bodies as well.”

The other type of mosquito that people should look out for is culex tarsalis — a vector for the West Nile virus.

Tansey said they pose a threat to people and livestock and birds. They can survive over the winter as adults and usually hide in things like plants.

Spiders 

“We do have a decent diversity of spiders,” Tansey said. “Not many of them actually like to take up residence in homes and those are going to vary over different parts of the province.
“So if you’re down in the southwest, you have the potential to see widows in your house and of course, those can be a dangerous bite.”

Tansey said if widows are detected, they should be removed.

He also mentioned “false widows” are found throughout the province. At only about a centimetre in length, they’re smaller than black widows.

Though they aren’t real black widows, their bites can be pretty painful — about as painful as the sting of a yellowjacket or a honeybee.

Sac spiders can also be prone to biting if they feel pressured.

Sac spiders can be found inside Sask. homes although they’re not all cause for concern.

Orb-weaving spiders, banded garden spiders, and jewel spiders are all relatively harmless.

Tansey said they’re effective killers of biting flies and he likes to keep them on his deck.

Ants 
“Blocking physical access can probably be the most important thing if you have a conspicuous hole in a window screen or a door seal isn’t sealed properly then that can be a point of entry for these critters and of course, they can squeeze through pretty tight spots,” Tansley said.

Boric acid and other insecticidal modes of action help against ants.

“A good rule of thumb is if it’s labeled for ant control or spider control is going to be effective,” he said.

Tansley said barrier sprays are highly effective for both ants and spiders, but you should know the risks of using such products.

“A real important consideration with some of these barrier sprays is that they tend to rely on what is called synthetic pyrethroid insecticides,” he said. “And that group of insecticides can be pretty hard on fish and pretty hard on cats.”