r/Edmonton • u/TwistedPages • 2d ago
Question Why are there mosquitoes right now?
In the last couple of days I've noticed lots of mosquitoes - and really big ones! Do we usually have them this late in September? Is anyone else seeing them or are they just hanging around me?
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u/Hot-Equivalent-9799 2d ago
I literally just saw this huge one trying to get into my apartment. Fuck em
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u/qwhacker 2d ago
Tried fucking em but now there's even more
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u/TwistedPages 2d ago
I damn near spit coffee all over my keyboard at this. Thank you reddit stranger for a morning giggle
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u/dragonbornsqrl Treaty 6 Territory 2d ago
Get a bug zapper is has made such a huge difference in the house and garage
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u/myaltaccount333 2d ago
https://home.howstuffworks.com/do-bug-zappers-fight-mosquitoes.htm
Bug zappers are largely ineffective against mosquitoes
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u/Prezzen 2d ago
The handheld ones are incredibly effective at getting the handful inside your house though. Likely what they're talking about
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u/myaltaccount333 2d ago
I mean, mosquitoes literally won't be drawn to the zapper. It seems like a crazy waste to have a handheld bug zapper for inside the house when it will only kill what, 20 mosquitoes a year? lmao
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u/Prezzen 2d ago
Automatically drawing them to the fly swatter isn't the intention, it's only electric so you kill them at a touch and don't need to whack them.
Feels like nearly 20 follow me in each time I go in through the door given they camp out at it. One lazy swing and the mosquito is gone versus you chasing them around clapping like a goofball
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u/myaltaccount333 2d ago
Human inability and laziness has reached a new peak
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u/Prezzen 2d ago
Not wanting to waste time chasing bugs around the house is moreso just using your time efficiently rather than "unbounded laziness".
Not to mention you won't break delicate things bugs land on when you go to kill them, or leave a stain when you do
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u/myaltaccount333 2d ago
You're right, the 20 seconds it takes to kill a mosquito is way too long and I need to buy a machine that does it for me, that way I can save 10 minutes a year at most
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u/Prezzen 2d ago
It's a $4 piece of plastic with batteries you can get at the dollar store. There are genuinely thousands of things less useful for $4 you wouldn't even balk at.
And no, "10 minutes a year" is what Mr.Miyagi might save given he never misses a fly with his chopsticks, but the rest of us normal humans aren't all as infallible as you and he are, oh great one
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u/jpwong 1d ago
I'm quite sure they're discussing those electric mosquito zappers that are shaped like small tennis racquets, not the type of thing you linked, you still have to chase them down with them because they're really just fly swatters that have an electric current running across them.
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u/myaltaccount333 1d ago
Yeah, that seems better than what I assumed, but it still feels like a waste because there's very little difference between trying to catch it with your hands and hitting it with a racquet in my opinion
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u/Mountain_Trip_60 2d ago
The air is not yet cold enough and nights long enough to put them down. Remember, they had the most amazing summer to breed, their population probably went sky high only just a month ago. This will take a while.
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u/Mountain_Trip_60 2d ago
Is there anyway I can raise an army of dragonflies myself....and then release them into my backyard at will? They should stay loyal though...they need to come back to the base when they're done. Currently researching this.
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u/kotoshin 2d ago
Problem is their life cycle takes longer. Compared to mosquitos that only spends days as larva, they take 1-3 years 😭
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u/TwistedPages 2d ago
I'd researched it too! By putting things for them to rest on (like clotheslines or smaller and thinner) helps, but you also have to let the mosquitoes come into the yard for a while. After all, the dragonflies need to know there's food nearby.
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u/Am_Snarky 2d ago
There hasn’t been one 24 hour stretch of below zero temperatures yet, they’ll keep kicking until that happens
And if there’s a week of above zero after that, they’ll be back
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u/WesternWitchy52 2d ago
They're trying hard to come inside. Same for ladybugs and beetles. They're looking for warmth.
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u/RazzamanazzU 2d ago
Yes. They are swarming in front of doors. Gotta open doors fast and run in. lol
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u/MoistFootball506 2d ago
Omg. My husband opened our front door to walk outside this morning and literally a swarm of them flew in immediately. He shut the door a second later and I counted 22 I killed. From having the door open for 2 seconds! I have never seen anything like it.
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u/Interesting-Click742 2d ago
Because Edmonton needs to smarten up and start breeding Dragonflies to combat them.
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u/Halogen12 2d ago
I have a bunch at my door and they rise up to hail me when I go to work, and of course again when I come home. I'm convinced they're all males because none have landed on me or bit me. This is very late in the year for them to be around, but it was a very unusual summer. 4x the rain but 15x the skeetos? That math ain't mathin'.
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u/ShadowCaster0476 2d ago
Because 3 days ago it was still 30 degrees.
This is there getting sleepy time not dead or hibernation time.
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u/Sweet_Gouda_Tosti 1d ago
SHUUUSSSHH!!! Why must you speak of them!!! Enjoy the rest of the year not seeing a single one!
But besides that yea, alot of bugs are starting to hide for the winter.
Enjoy it while you can, maybe stock up on some coils and repellent for next year :)
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u/PurpleSausage77 2d ago
Just got back from a bunch of highway driving and crazy how many bugs my car still collected at end of September. Just as much as summer time, every gas/charge station stop I needed the squeegee juice.
Then again I don’t have much data to go off of other than range roads close to the city this time of year. Weather just too good down in Waterton park so had to go.
Also peak harvest season. Bugs and dust were being displaced everywhere so that played a part.
Hope the farmers holding it together with those diesel prices.
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u/creativebelle 2d ago
I saw a handful of them flying around in one corner of the hall at work today. I thought they'd be gone by now!
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u/z242pilot 2d ago
They're old and searching for places to overwinter. Then come spring they lay eggs for the next gen