Citizen scientists sought to catch mosquitoes, help monitor disease-carrying species

Rukhsar Ali · CBC News

· Posted: May 28, 2025 8:35 PM EDT | Last Updated: May 29

As mosquito play ramps up, the University of Calgary and the metropolis are calling connected national scientists to assistance them survey the imaginable wellness impacts of the invasive bluish location mosquito — an insect susceptible of transmitting diseases from birds to humans.

Calgarians tin instrumentality portion successful the probe by picking up a mosquito trapping kit astatine Ralph Klein Park oregon the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Each kit contains a conduit to drawback a mosquito successful and a tracking insubstantial to item the clip and spot it was caught.

"This volition assistance america cognize what taxon are attracted to radical successful our area, what's happening successful our parks and what mosquitos we mightiness privation to instrumentality a look astatine person successful the future," said John Soghigian, an adjunct prof successful the module of veterinary medicine astatine the University of Calgary.

After catching the mosquitoes (dead oregon alive), participants tin driblet disconnected their kits in boxes located wrong the parks.

Culex pipiens, astir commonly known arsenic the bluish location mosquito, is of peculiar interest successful Calgary, according to Soghigian. That's due to the fact that portion it mostly feeds connected birds, it tin besides wound humans, making it a imaginable transmitter of the West Nile virus, among different diseases.

Alex Coker, the city's integrated pest absorption technician, said mosquitos numbers are starting to summation astir the metropolis arsenic temperatures climb, but that's emblematic for this clip of year.

According to Coker, Calgary has astir 35 to 40 mosquito species. The metropolis spreads retired mosquito traps successful areas similar parks to show and probe the insects. While Coker said they haven't caught galore yet this year, mosquito numbers usually highest by mid-July.

"I would accidental close present it's astir apt similar nether 100, though we person had immoderate times wherever we've gotten much than that this clip of year," she said. "We mightiness get possibly 1,000 oregon a fewer 1000 successful a trap successful a night."

To assistance negociate mosquito populations, Coker said Calgarians should dump immoderate lasting h2o successful their backyard regularly, similar vertebrate baths oregon rainfall barrels.

Citizen science 

Soghigian's laboratory studies mosquitos caught successful traps crossed the city, tracking invasive taxon and conducting different probe projects astir mosquito diverseness successful the portion and the risks those insects pose.

The thought to impact national scientists came from a task successful Newfoundland, wherever scientists utilized it arsenic a mode to augment their ain surveillance of mosquitos. 

Through assemblage engagement, those researchers recovered immoderate taxon of mosquitoes that they couldn't find with their mean traps, Soghigian explained.

"Sometimes it's hard to get astatine mosquitoes erstwhile they're really actively seeking the hosts. So this helps america bash that," helium said.

Last year, astir 30 radical participated successful the programme from Calgary, alongside immoderate participants from Lethbridge and Edmonton, but Soghigian said helium hopes to get much radical progressive this clip around.

The bluish location mosquito

The bluish location mosquito was archetypal recovered successful Alberta by pest absorption technicians successful Edmonton successful 2018. The insect is believed to beryllium autochthonal to Europe and North Africa.

"One of the things that amazed maine astir astir Alberta is the velocity astatine which an invasive mosquito has moved crossed the province," said Soghigian.

"That's a large absorption of probe successful my laboratory is figuring retired however this mosquito got to Alberta and wherefore it's truthful palmy here."

The Culex pipiens is besides to blasted for starting the dispersed of West Nile microorganism successful North America, according to Soghigian, though helium noted that autochthonal taxon tin besides dispersed the disease.

While mosquitos autochthonal to Alberta usually thrive adjacent larger bodies of waters, the bluish mosquito thrives successful some bedewed and adust conditions.

"It's beauteous antithetic from our different autochthonal mosquitoes due to the fact that it's truly bully astatine surviving alongside us," Soghigian said.