Snowy season will mean more mosquitoes this year, warn experts

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Here's someone who is expected to benefit from the long, snowy winter but who is not exactly beloved by most New Brunswickers.

It's the tiny blood-sucker who enjoys ruining your summer barbecues, picnics and other outdoor events -- namely, the pesky mosquito.

And we can expect to see even more of them this year than usual, thanks to the 2007-08 winter.

Jeff Scott, assistant general director of the Greater Moncton Pest Control Commission, said the heavy snow cover, which predominated from early November through March, plays in favour of mosquitoes. He said the better insulated they are, the greater the survival rate for their eggs.

And snow cover makes for an excellent insulator, said Scott. So the insects' numbers should be higher this year, certainly when compared to the previous two winters when there was little in the way of snow, he said.

Mosquitoes come from two sources -- wooded areas and large wetlands or marshes, said the pest control commission spokesman. And it is in the former where the mosquito population should see a significant boost this summer, he said.

"The bad news is that we are expecting to see a lot more mosquitoes this year," he said. "But the good news is that the increase is not going to be as great as I originally feared."

It is true that a lot of snow accumulated over the past winter in forested areas, said Scott. But early indications are that the spring melt has been occurring much quicker than anticipated, he said.

The ground has been absorbing the melting snow quite well, he said. "Considering all the snow we got, it is not as wet in the woods as it might be. At the same time, it is not as dry as it has been the previous two springs (which followed relatively dry winters)."

However, the commission concentrates its efforts on the marshes, said Scott, explaining that it would be "far too expensive" to try to control mosquito numbers in the woodland areas. In the marshes, he said the mosquito populations should be about the same as last year.

The commission -- which employs 16 university students along with Scott and an office staff member -- got started on the season about two weeks ago. He said they concentrate strictly on the insect at the larva stage.

He said this involves making mosquito sightings and applying a biological application on the larvae.

He emphasized that the application is non-chemical and affects only the mosquito larvae, adding it would not negatively impact on any other life form.

As for present weather conditions, Scott said the ideal situation would be dry weather that would help limit areas of water where the mosquitoes can breed. The worst scenario would be heavy rainfall, he said.

n Charles Perry's Weather appears daily.