Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes have an uncanny ability to bother us – and to sting to their heart’s content.

Although mosquitoes draw energy from flower nectar, blood is an indispensable food supplement for egg formation among females. They are attracted by people’s movements and by the carbon dioxide (CO₂), heat and odour people give off.

Mosquitoes thrive wherever there is shallow, stagnant water, whether in the country, the suburbs or the city. Ponds, swamps and ditches are excellent incubators for their larvae, as is water lying dormant in abandoned tires, gutters, birdbaths or children’s toys.

Smoothing relief

Mosquitos have an anticoagulant agent in their saliva that causes their bites to swell and itch. The reaction usually lasts a few hours, or a few days, at worst.

Rubbing ice on the bites takes away the itch. Another option is to rub them with baking soda using a washcloth soaked in cold water.

Don’t hesitate to seek medical attention if you have a reaction anywhere other than the location of the bite. Call 911 if you have a severe reaction (facial swelling, generalized redness, change in voice, difficulty swallowing or breathing, asthma attack, weakness, persistent vomiting, loss of consciousness or shock).

• Make sure water isn’t pooling in your gutters or flat roof drains.

• Remove water that collects on your pool’s sun cover, saucers under flower pots, and more.

• Empty wading pools, and flip over wheelbarrows and watercraft.

• Change the water in bird baths and pet bowls frequently (at least twice a week).

• Fix leaky faucets and hoses.

Other tips:

• Check the condition of your window and door screens and use fine screens in rural areas to better block insects.

• Make sure outside doors close hermetically.

• Cover garbage cans, recycling bins and other containers, or drill holes in the bottoms of containers that cannot be covered.

• Trim hedges and groves: mosquitoes like to congregate there.

• Put lounge areas in open spaces.

• If you have a water garden, add fish that eat mosquito larvae.

• Limit outdoor lighting at night. Choose low-intensity narrow-beam lights like LEDs or yello bulbs, wich are less atractive to insects. Motion sensor lamps are also a good idea.

You should be covered from head to toe, including your wrists, ankles, and neck. If necessary, you can also cover your head with a beekeeping veil. Wear loose-fitting, breathable clothing that’s light in colour and avoid smelly shampoo, aftershave, etc.

You can also protect exposed skin by applying insect repellent. According to Health Canada, the percentage of DEET in such products shouldn’t exceed 30% for adults and 10% for children ages 2 to 12. It’s better to choose a product with a lower concentration and apply it more often. Insect repellent should ideally be applied to your clothing and not directly on your skin.

Insect repellant should not be used for infants under six months of age. Protect infants by putting a mosquito net around their crib, playpen, or stroller.

About 40 Quebec municipalities spread biological larvicides to reduce mosquito and black fly populations. These treatments, applied directly to the bodies of water where larvae develop, are supervised by the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change.

These measures applied on a municipal scale are the most effective. Similar treatment on private property won’t eliminate mosquitoes there, because they fly wherever they want. According to a study by the Montreal Insectarium, mosquitoes account for only 3% to 5% of insects electrocuted by ultrasound devices or ultraviolet lamps with live wires. 

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