Mosquito.buzz Blog

Finally... it's May Two Four!

The Victoria Day long weekend in Canada is more than just a holiday; it signifies the start of Spring, and more importantly, the beginning of cottage season.

Escaping to the cottage in Spring and Summer has it's perks; all that sensational scenery, idyllic days and no-worries nights among the woods and the lake, and not to mention, the whole family adopting a new found sense of well-being. 

Just like everything, there's gotta be a downside. And we're willing to bet that the number one downside of going to the cottage is bugs, and in particular, mosquitoes.

With both tick and Lyme Disease numbers on the rise, tick control is a growing concern for many Canadians. However another serious tick-borne disease is gaining momentum across North America.

Powassan Virus is more rare than Lyme Disease, yet it can bring on more serious symptoms, including brain inflammation. First discovered in 1958, a boy from Powassan, Ontario (near North Bay) became infected with the then-unknown virus, and later died.

Only 25 cases have been identified in Canada since then, and 75 in the US. However since 2006, at least 8 people have died after becoming infected. With tick populations growing and Powassan cases recently identified in Connecticut and Maine, it's becoming more of a concern as we approach warmer weather.

While Lyme disease takes more than 24 hours to be transmitted to the bloodstream, it can take Powassan only about 15 minutes. 

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in North America. The disease was first recognised in Connecticut in 1975, and is caused by a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. It is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infectious blacklegged tick.

Blacklegged ticks (also known as deer ticks) are widespread throughout Canada, due to tick larvae and nymphs attaching themselves to migratory birds. Bird-borne ticks thus create the possibility of infectious tick bites almost anywhere in Canada.

Ticks are an opportunistic pest, and will latch on to you or your pet if you brush past them. It can take a while for a tick to latch on to your dog or cat because of their fur, so it's important to be proactive when it comes to tick control and check your pets regularly.

The last thing you want is to allow one of your pets to bring a tick into your home, and run the risk of an infected tick latching on to you or your family.

Yay - Spring is here! After a long, cold Winter, it's nice to finally spend some time outside. When the weather is so nice, what is there to worry about?

It's safe to say that you can go ahead and tick the box entitled 'ticks' on your list of 'Insects To Be Wary Of'. 

There are literally thousands of different species of mosquitoes. They're here, they're there - they're everywhere. While the biggest culprits feed on our blood and spread horrible diseases, some of them prefer feeding on other animals, and some rarer varieties don't feed on blood at all. 

Here we break down the most common genus of mosquitoes.

We've heard it time and time again; there's something about you, in particular, that mosquitoes just love. Is it your charming personality? No, probably not. Your exquisite taste in music and film? We think not. Is it something about your aura? Well, sort of.

It all boils down to one simple fact; You stink. Good, bad... we don't know. But whatever the perspective, mosquitoes all have acute receptors that detect scents from up to 100 feet away. These are the primary indicators that female mosquitoes (the ones that do the biting) use to pick out their prey.

You may've had the cheesiest most amazing french onion soup. Your waitress might've had the loveliest smile. Your cocktail could've got you just the right amount of tipsy. And your crème brûlée might've been torched to perfection, with the much anticipated 'crack' meeting your highest expectations.

But if you sat through multiple mosquito bites during your dining experience, it'd be safe to say those fond memories were overshadowed by another more irritating one.

Although it has been widely suggested that Canada will not see local transmission of the Zika virus (due to the lack of Aedes mosquito species), four potentially Zika-carrying mosquitoes have been found in a mosquito trap in Windsor, Ontario last month.