Mosquitoes are often a nuisance in the summer, particularly around bodies of water like the South Saskatchewan River. (CHAT News File Photo)

By Jayson Taylor

Mosquitoes not having as large of a presence in 2023

Jun 2, 2023 | 12:00 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Mosquitoes are known for being a nuisance to people who are looking to enjoy a nice summer day.

This year, however, might not be the case. Despite having a noticeable presence earlier in the spring, the dry and smoky conditions in May led to the presence of the mosquito diminishing.

William Percy is the superintendent of parks and recreation for the city. He said that earlier in spring, he was anticipating mosquitoes to be a larger problem this year, but after May, he now anticipates the exact opposite. He says that the biggest factor in mosquito presence depends on how close one is to a body of water.

“Coming from winter into spring and summer, those being the more active months, that’s when we tend to see an increase in activity. In terms of the amount of them, that is tied to the amount of standing water that is around. If you have a particularly dry season, then you would expect to see less. If there’s more precipitation and more heat, that will increase the activity levels,” Percy said on Thursday.

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He says that city crews are working hard to control the mosquito population and to keep parks and playgrounds as free from mosquitoes as possible.