Click here to email Ed Mason
7/29/2010
The biggest buzz in metro Thursay morning is coming from those darn mosquitos!
Most are small, but determined little stingers. They're so small you may not notice you've been stuck for drinks until it's too late. The rest are mid-sized mosquitos that thankfully aren't the kind linked to west nile virus.
The city keeps a graph of mosquito activity based on numbers of females caught in traps, and as of Wednesday, the mosquito meter is going up like an overheated thermometer. If there's any good news on the graph it's that these are so-called "nuisance" mosquitos. The bad news is you can swat 'em, smack 'em, squish 'em; spray 'em, or zap 'em but they'll keep coming back for more.
Old timers will tell you this spike in mosquito activity is nothing, and they're right. Historic tracking shows Edmonton's mosquito swarms of the past were much worse.
Best advice is use a bug deterrent like "Off", stay away from long grass and wet areas and wear protective clothing. On a super hot day like Thursday, that's easier said than done.
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