Call it an onslaught.
Mosquitoes are taking over Edmonton in big way and the city's mosquito expert says this is one of the worst years in decades.
“The mosquito population has definitely increased in the last week or so,” biological sciences technician Mike Jenkins told CBC News.
It's the highest peak since 2001, when the city counted 3,500 mosquitoes per trap, reports Global News.
And the numbers could meet or surpass that record very soon.
The surge in the tiny black pests is attributed to recent rainfall and the current humidity, Jenkins told Global.
“They’re able to be out and biting, even during periods when, typically, we don’t get a lot of mosquito activity. So, people are noticing that they are biting during the day, they’re biting in windy conditions, all those sorts of things, where usually the mosquitoes are out in hiding.”
Mosquitoes aren't the only pests that are up in numbers this year.
Jenkins told the Edmonton Sun this year's wasp and hornet population has been booming on account of the heat.
He says wasps nests have been getting bigger and bigger and that calls to get rid of them started coming in earlier than usual.
However, hornets and wasps also like to eat other animals that are considered pests — like flies and caterpillars — so Jenkins warns against being in a rush to get rid of them.
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