Summer is in full swing here in Canada. Hooray! The Great White North is subject to a notoriously short summer, so it's no surprise to find local hangouts swarming with people relishing the warm weather at this time of year.
But for those that aren't too fond of long lines and crowded chaos, there's plenty of fun to be had in the comfort of your own home. Here's a list full of fun things to do in your backyard that'll keep you outside whenever the weather permits.
Wouldn't cottage country really be heaven on earth if not for biting insects?
While mosquito and tick populations can be significantly reduced around cottage and residential properties, black flies are a little more difficult.
Just like mosquitoes, female black flies do the biting, since they require a blood meal to develop their eggs. Unlike mosquitoes, black flies are strong fliers, so can fly longer distances without the requirement of landing frequently. This makes them better at avoiding barrier control strategies used around properties, and all the more difficult to control.
While some home owners may see a reduction in black flies after a barrier control application, the service isn't going to eliminate them like it does for mosquitoes and ticks, so it's important to have a back up plan.
With all the nasty diseases they spread, it's safe to say that mosquitoes are not our friends. While the saying "Keep your friends close but your enemies closer" might apply to many of our human on human relationships, it certainly doesn't apply to mosquitoes.
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to keep tabs on an enemy you can barely see. So, you need to get smart and think strategically. Where does the enemy like to hide? And what can be done to help eradicate aforementioned enemy?
Say no more. Here are the top 10 spots that mosquitoes live, rest, breed, and hide in.
As John Donne famously quoted, 'No man is an island, entire of itself.'
Although you probably adore all the isolation on your island property, don't assume you're trapped out there when it comes to controlling mosquitoes and ticks.
We service a wide spectrum of properties across Canada, so as long as you're in our service area, don't worry; we've got you covered.
Ever attended a wedding and been bombarded by uninvited guests of the flying and biting variety? I know I have, and although I'd love to have been smitten by all the love in the air, getting bitten by mosquitoes can be pretty distracting.
Weather is a major motivator for what mosquitoes do, and when.
Mosquitoes are cold-blooded insects. This means that their body temperature is more or less the same as their environment, since they don't have the ability to regulate their internal temperatures.
Considering how driven by temperature mosquitoes are, it's no wonder weather plays such a make-or-break role in mosquito activity.
Camping - or glamping, if you're a fancy type - can be a tonne of fun for the whole family. But thanks to biting bugs that have the potential to transmit nasty diseases, camping can be a little risky, too.
But as this decade's most famous Canadian would say; YOLO!
You only live once, so why should you let mosquitoes or ticks ruin your fun? Good news is, you don't have to. But you do have to know how to protect yourself.
Here are our top tips to prevent tick bites and mosquito bites when camping.
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.
