Canadians don’t usually worry about mosquitoes, ticks or other insects in early March. Yet the abnormally mild winter in the country could see some pests bug people earlier than usual in Canada, some entomologists say.
“With a warming climate, the survival over winter can improve for a number of different species, although the relationship is uncertain and a subject of much research by many,” James Tansey, provincial entomologist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture in Regina, said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca.
Alice Sinia, entomologist with pest control company Orkin Canada in Mississauga, Ont., says she expects certain pests to show up earlier than normal and even appear in larger numbers during the spring and summer.
“When the winter is very mild, large pest populations will survive,” Sinia said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca.
Sinia calls winter “Mother Nature’s natural pest control.”
“So when the winters are very cold – lots of snow – it tends to naturally control insect or pest populations, so that really increases the mortality,” Sinia explains. “That means you’re going to have … a relatively small population to start up the spring.”
Sinia says the opposite is true when winters are mild.
“Right now, because of the mild winter and warm winter days and bright sunshine, we’re already seeing many overwintering insects such as cluster flies, Box elder bugs, stink bugs, the European firebugs,” she explained.
These insects tend to go into hiding during winter, Sinia said.
“They have a specific biological clock that wakes them up during springtime so that they can go back outside and start their natural cycle,” she explained.
“So with the current temperatures we’ve been having and bright (sunny) days, it confuses the biological clock for these insects. So because of that we’ve already seen these insects coming out from their overwintering sites earlier than usual – so they’re not waiting for spring.”
The early appearance of these insects means they are eventually going to have “a very robust population” by the time spring arrives, she said.
Wasps and bees
Plants are growing and blooming early because of the mild temperature and are attracting plant-feeding insects, such as wasps and bees, as a result. Unless a heavy snowfall or cold spells occur, Sinia expects to see many insects emerge before spring starts or very early in the spring.
Ants
Pavement ants are already showing up outside, Sinia says. She says these ants tend to emerge when the weather is warmer to forage for food.
“So when it’s cold, they don’t come out that much but because it’s very warm, they tend to come out very early,” she says.
Midges
In certain parts of the country, such as in cities or near lakes, Sinia expects an uptick in midges – possibly clouds of them swarming homes or streets – because of the mild weather.
“The temperatures have really helped midges to survive,” she said. “They don’t bite but they can be a nuisance.”
Rodents
More rodents, such as mice and rats, will survive because of the mild winter, Sinia says. Rodents tend to go inside structures over the winter, but she expects their numbers to go up in early spring.
Ticks
Sinia expects ticks to likely continue increasing in numbers because of the warmer weather.
The blacklegged tick or deer tick has expanded its range over the years across Canada.
“It’s showing up in places where it’s not supposed to be. So with this mild winter, that means again the population is not controlled by nature. They’re going to be expanding their range,” Sinia said.
If more wildlife survive the winter, the ticks could spread further with their host animals and increase in numbers, she said.
Mosquitoes
If there is a lot of rain in the spring, Sinia expects it will help the mosquito population to multiply, since mosquitoes need moisture for their eggs to hatch.
“We can see a high population of mosquitoes early spring towards into the summer – that’s if we have a lot of rain during the spring,” she said.
Mosquitoes that overwinter as adults will survive the mild winter and start breeding early if rainy weather occurs, she adds.
Crop pests
Tansey says certain types of grasshoppers are among the most concerning pests in the Prairies. Due to the excellent conditions for egg laying in a relatively mild winter, he expects “elevated populations” of four species of grasshoppers in parts of those provinces. These types of grasshoppers inflicted a lot of damage to crops such as soybean, canola and wheat across the Prairies last year, he said.
“Grasshoppers really love warm conditions,” he said. “The pest species overwinter as eggs, developing as embryos in the fall. Development pauses in the winter and restarts with warm weather in the spring. Very warm weather in the spring speeds their development and leads to an early hatch.”
Spring of 2023 saw a very early emergence of damaging numbers of two-striped grasshoppers in some parts of Saskatchewan, he said.
Species kill trees
Chris MacQuarrie of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., research scientist with Natural Resources Canada and past president of the Entomological Society of Canada, says the milder weather will benefit the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid, which kills hemlock trees in old growth forests in Nova Scotia and Ontario. It will also help the spruce budworm, which targets spruce and fir trees across Canada.
These pests could cause major damage economically to Canada’s commercial forestry industry, he said.
“A lot of the success of some of these insects can be attributed to climate change,” MacQuarrie said in a phone interview with CTVNews.ca, noting studies on the species are expected to be completed in the spring and summer.
In Eastern Canada, the emerald ash borer and mountain pine beetle also thrive in warmer weather. Two decades ago, the mountain pine beetle used to only be found in British Columbia, but has since spread to Alberta due in part to climate change, MacQuarrie said.
“There’s a negative impact on forests,” he said. “A lot of these insects kill trees. When that happens, the composition of forests can change and different species can grow (and) lots of dead trees can burn.”
EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.
The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.
TAKEAWAYS
Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.
Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.
KEY MOMENT
New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.
KEY RETURN?
Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.
OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN
The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.
The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.
Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.
Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.
Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.
It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.
Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.
Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.
The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”
Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.
The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.
Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Darcy Kuemper made 16 saves for his first shutout of the season and 32nd overall, helping the Los Angeles Kings beat the Nashville Predators 3-0 on Monday night.
Adrian Kempe had a goal and an assist and Anze Kopitar and Kevin Fiala also scored. The Kings have won two of their last three.
Juuse Saros made 24 saves for the Predators. They are 1-2-1 in their last four.
Kopitar opened the scoring with 6:36 remaining in the opening period. Saros denied the Kings captain’s first shot, but Kopitar collected the rebound below the goal line and banked it off the netminder’s skate.
Fiala, a former Predator, made it 2-0 35 seconds into the third.
The Kings held Nashville to just three third-period shots on goal, the first coming with 3:55 remaining and Saros pulled for an extra attacker.
Elsewhere in the NHL on Monday:
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DEVILS 3 OILERS 0
EDMONTON, Alta. (AP) — Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his NHL career, helping the New Jersey Devils close their western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored. The Devils improved to 8-5-2. They have won three of their last four after a four-game skid.
Calvin Pickard made 13 saves for Edmonton. The Oilers had won two straight.
