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Some residents and outdoor enthusiasts in the Okanagan and Kamloops area are being bothered, and bitten, by higher numbers of pesky mosquitos these past two weeks, and it turns out there's a reason why.

Curtis Fediuk’s company Duka Enterprises based in Langley manages mosquito reduction programs all over the province, and lately he is receiving a higher number of phone calls reporting the pests.

“This year has been better for mosquitos, but in the last couple of weeks the heat has brought them out of permanent ponds and ditches that were too deep at one time,” he said. “Rain storms at the end of July increased humidity bringing mosquitos out, it was a perfect storm.”

Fediuk is receiving calls about high mosquito numbers from areas across the province including some more unusual places including Vancouver Island.

Many calls are coming from the Okanagan with the most coming from Kelowna, and while he hasn’t yet received any from Kamloops, he said the issue is province wide. 

“Adult mosquitos are cold blooded so hot weather activates them, but on the other hand, hot weather dries them out and kills them,” he said.

Water sources get more shallow and warm and have less oxygen in the heat, which slows down or kills pond insects that would otherwise prey on mosquitos. Mosquitos breath oxygen out of the air and develop faster when the water surface is warm. 

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Fediuk said the first species of mosquito that come out in the spring had lower than average populations this year because they depend on flooding to breed and hatch.

The two species of mosquitos flying currently flying around are called culex and culiseta, and they're harder for Fediuk’s company to treat.

“These are the types that use permanent ponds, standing buckets of water and things like abandoned swimming pools to hatch out of,” he said. “It’s easier to treat a big flooded hay field than it is to treat standing pools of water on residential properties.” 

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The mosquito forecast for the rest of the summer isn’t known — Fediuk doesn’t have a crystal ball — but right now the conditions are optimum for the pests. If it stays hot and dry the numbers will decrease, and will continue to decrease with fall weather.

“Residents out watering gardens increase the humidity, attracting mosquitos and are often out enjoying the weather on their patios 20 feet away,” Fediuk said. “They mosquitos can develop in any water, even puddles collected in kids toys.”

There are several things homeowners can do to keep down mosquito populations, starting by removing all standing water including very small amounts that have collected in containers. Mosquito coils work well and citronella candles can help to repel the pesky biters.

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