Dragonflies seen in droves in Regina

It's high season for dragonflies in Saskatchewan — unnerving a few people but delighting many others.

That's because they're veritable mosquito-munching machines. That's good news after a wetter than normal year where the tiny blood-suckers have flourished.

"They may be intimidating because of their size, but they're friendly, they're all right, they're good," said Ramon Claro, who noticed dragonflies buzzing him during a walk through Wascana Park.

And although the City of Regina says it's an average year in terms of numbers, even an average number of dragonflies provides excellent mosquito coverage.

"They're very voracious," said Ray Morgan, who's with the City of Regina's pest control section. "They can consume up to 50 per cent of their body weight in a day for just eating mosquitoes."

Morgan says about every two or three years, dragonfly numbers peak.

And that means even if the mosquitoes are out in force next year, it could be a big year for their mortal enemies, too.