Bug experts say Calgary's mosquito season should be fairly typical this year

It's looking like a typical season so far for mosquitoes in Calgary, but that could change if wet weather arrives in the coming weeks, officials say.

The city started its control program about a week ago to get ahead of any early hatches, says Chris Manderson, urban conservation lead for Calgary Parks.

To help that effort, Manderson suggests Calgarians have a look around their yards for likely mosquito breeding spots.

"Look for standing water," he said. "Eavestroughs.Bird baths.Make sure the water is changed regularly. Those sorts of things will help."

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An entomologist at the University of Calgary, John Swann, says cold weather at the start of springcoupled with a lack of rain in recent weeks means the number of mosquitoesemerging is lower than in years past.

"I think the technical term for the weather we've had earlier is, it kind of sucked.It's been cold," he told CBC Calgary News at 6.

"Mosquitoes produce antifreeze over winter.Once they come out of hibernation, like a bear, they can't do that again. So these really hard frosts we've hadhas put a damper on those mosquitoes. Now, the past couple of weeksin May, we really haven't had much precipitation, so it's going to be a lot of catch-up to get bad this year."

It's adifferent story in Edmonton, where officials say warm weather this spring could lead to an explosion in the mosquito population.

They may take some of the fun out of being outside, but mosquitoes play an important role, says Swann.

"Mosquitoes form a vital part of an ecosystem," he said. "They're food for other organisms. Without those, what would happen? It would probably be rather scary."

Along with leaving an itchy, annoying bump, mosquitoes can also carry diseases like West Nile, but that's usually later in the year, says Swann.

"It's in late June, July and August.That's when species that typically carry West Nile show up."

To protect against bites, Swann recommends wearing long sleeves and pants where possible.

With files from CBC Calgary News at 6and Mike Symington