Mosquito season in Calgary to arrive early, expert says

Calgary's mosquitoes are flying in two to three weeks early this year and — unless you like the itching, stinging and swelling — you'll want to take some precautions.

The height of mosquito season is just around the corner, thanks to unusually mild and damp May conditions, University of Calgary entomologist John Swann told Alberta@Noon.

Namely, lower than average daytime highs combined with higher than normal nighttime lows have accelerated the local mosquito breeding cycles. 

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​To help keep the pesky bloodsuckers at bay, and because full-on mosquito gear isn't always the most practical for summer barbecuing, here are some of of Swann's tips:

1. Watch the clock

Mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk in Alberta, so avoid being outdoors at these times, if you can.

If you are planning to be outside during those hours of the day, Swann recommends using a bug repellent spray with DEET, or diethyltoluamide.

2. Cover up

Swann said mosquitoes are most likely to spot you if you're wearing dark colours, so dress in pale, light shades and wear long pants and long sleeves.

"Tuck your pant legs into your socks," he suggested. 

3. Attract birds

Some Calgarians will be lucky enough to have natural pest control set up in their back yards. 

"Tree swallows [and] barn swallows will eat up to 600 mosquitoes in a day," Swann said. 

You may want to consider encouraging nesting if you're planning to host more than a few summer barbecues. 

4. Sunscreen first

While you can buy multi-purpose sunscreen and insect repellant wrapped into one, Swann wouldn't recommend it.

"There's sort of an interference, so both will work but not as well."

Instead, Swann says to apply your sunscreen first, let it dry, and then apply your mosquito repellant.

5. Natural immunity

If you're one of the unlucky few who seems to be getting bitten all the time, take heart. You could benefit from it in the end, Swann said.

The itching and redness that accompanies a mosquito bite is typically the result of an allergic reaction to the saliva of that particular breed of mosquito.

"The more you're bitten by that species ... you sort of build up an immunity to it," he said.

"Those people that say, 'Oh, I never get bit,' you probably get bit, but you're used to it by now, and you don't get the inflammation."

The worst will soon be over

Though we're headed into the thick of things now, Swann doesn't anticipate mosquitoes will be a problem for long.

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"If we look at the long-term forecasts for the summer, we're saying hot and dry," said Swann, who expects this to be a below average year for the insects.

"That's not good weather for breeding mosquitoes."

With files from Alberta@Noon