City mosquito-spraying crews finally get work to do

Don't expect the city's first spring rain to bring clouds of mosquitoes into backyards and soccer fields, says city biologist Mike Jenkins.

Last weekend's steady drizzle was perfect for plants, but less than ideal for mosquitoes, which would have preferred a sudden downpour, he said.

Even though some areas of the city saw as much rain in four days as all of last summer, the rainfall did not result in a lot of standing water, Jenkins said.

"A lot of it is getting absorbed. We're seeing pools that were around a couple of days ago have already disappeared.

"There's not a lot of habitat out there."

How bad the mosquitoes will get depends on the next few days as larvae mature into adults.

While warm days such as Wednesday will enhance development, the cooler temperatures predicted for the upcoming weekend will slow things down, giving city crews a chance to get a jump on spraying for the larvae.

"We are going after them," Jenkins said.

Adult mosquitoes should begin to emerge next week, peaking in numbers towards the weekend, he said.

And with that, summer in Edmonton can officially begin.