Facts and Information about Mosquitos in Ontario, Canada
Monday, December 5, 2022 by Greeny’s Pest Control
Mosquitos (or Mosquitoes), belong to the Culicidae family, which consists of nearly 3600 species of small fly. According to Ontario Public Health, over 80% of Mosquitos in Ontario can be categorized into these five different species:
Aedes vexans (30%)
Coquillettidia perturbans (25%)
Culex pipiens/restuans (14%)
Ochlerotatus trivittatus (7%)
Ochlerotatus stimulans (6%)
The mosquito life cycle follows four different stages going from egg, larva, pupa and finally to adulthood. Eggs are typically laid in small pools of stagnant water as a way of giving themselves the best odds of survival.
Unsurprisingly, mosquitos can feed on the blood of mammals by inserting mouth like tubes through the hosts skin. A lesser known fact however is that only female mosquitos feed this way. According to the National Emergency Agency, Males feed exclusively on plant juices such as nectar to sustain themselves.
Anyone who has been bitten by a mosquito can tell you how itchy they can be, but have you ever stopped and asked yourself what makes mosquito bites so itchy in the first place? When a mosquito inserts its mouth into your skin, a small amount of saliva is left behind causing a mild reaction in the host.
The feeding process of female mosquitos can also explain why mosquitos are one of the most dangerous animals on the planet, responsible for nearly a million deaths globally in 2018 (Maclean's, 2019). Mosquitos that happen to ingest pathogens can transmit diseases from one host to the next. Some of the most notable diseases that mosquitos have been know to spread in Ontario include chikungunya and Zika virus.
In Ontario, Mosquitos belonging to different families go through their life cycles at different times of the year. This can explain variations in mosquito populations for home owners throughout the warmer seasons. This also speaks to the importance of monthly applications throughout the entire season when hiring a pest control service to control them.
Since most mosquito treatments focus on managing mosquitos in their adult phase of life, the best results come from regular treatments from May to September.
If you would like to arrange a free quote for your property and live in Central or Southern Ontario, give us a call or email and we would gladly arrange a meeting with you.
Sources:
Why is it important to monitor Ontario's mosquitoes? Public Health Ontario. (n.d.). Retrieved December 6, 2022, from https://www.publichealthontario.ca/en/About/news/2017/Monitor-Mosquitoes
Male mosquitoes do not bite or transmit disease. National Environment Agency. (n.d.). Retrieved December 6, 2022, from https://www.nea.gov.sg/corporate-functions/resources/research/wolbachia-aedes-mosquito-suppression-strategy/male-mosquitoes-do-not-bite#:~:text=Male%20mosquitoes%20feed%20only%20on,the%20development%20of%20their%20eggs.
Brian Bethune July 10, 2019. (2019, July 10). The Mosquito has killed billions and changed our DNA-and it's going to get worse. Macleans.ca. Retrieved December 6, 2022, from https://www.macleans.ca/culture/books/mosquito-killed-billions-changed-dna/
Chikungunya virus. Public Health Ontario. (n.d.). Retrieved December 6, 2022, from https://www.publichealthontario.ca/en/laboratory-services/test-information-index/chikungunya-virus-serology
Government of Ontario, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. (n.d.). Ministry reports - publications - public information - MOHLTC. Ministry Reports – Publications – Public Information – MOH. Retrieved December 6, 2022, from https://health.gov.on.ca/en/common/ministry/publications/reports/