Mosquitoes descend on Ladner

The hot, dry weather across most of B.C. has kept one of summer's most annoying insects — the mosquito — at bay. But in at least one region in the Lower Mainland, the whining insects have arrived in droves.

Kristin Crouch said mosquitos have laid siege to her patch of a community garden in Ladner, an agricultural community located south of Vancouver.

"It was like all the mosquitoes were done university," Crouch said. "And go get your kill."

Crouch first noticed the insects at her home Sunday morning. Later, at the community garden, the mosquitoes were everywhere.

Mosquitoes besiege gardener

"I'm in long pants, I've got socks on, I put long sleeves on and I have some organic bug repellent on, but I don't find it works very well," she said.

A combination of agricultural runoff in Delta and Richmond coupled with the prolonged hot spell have made for ideal mosquito breeding grounds, according to Carl Lowenberger, a Simon Fraser University entomologist and parasitologist.

He says some species, including one called Culex, can live in dirty water such as runoff, but the conditions — still water and hot weather — must be just right, he added.

"When we see agricultural or water runoff, we often see populations of those [types of mosquitos] coming out," he said.