Delta the “great havens” for mosquitoes
MOSQUITOES
B.C. is home to the mosquito types Aedes and Anopheles, which can transmit diseases such as malaria, dengue fever and chikungunya. But the parasite that causes malaria is not present in B.C. There has been a low population of mosquitoes this year due to the dry weather. Certain species have found “great havens” in Ladner and Delta from irrigation runoff in catch basins.
As the province’s climate warms, its southern mosquito species will likely move north. Mosquitos populations are going to see a shift from south to north, but also in existing areas moving higher in the mountains.
WASPS
All 17 wasp species in B.C. get a bad name as irritable pests poised to sting at the slightest provocation, but people often mistake wasps’ curiosity for hostility.“If bees defend a hive, it’s honorable. And when wasps defend their nests, it’s somehow malicious. Wasps’ threshold for aggressive behaviour is lower than for bees because wasps can sting multiple times and live; bees sting once and die. Heat makes wasps more active and helps them produce males and new queens sooner than the previous year.
TICKS
Ticks preferred hosts are reptiles, small mammals and mid-sized mammals. Two of the 20 tick species in B.C. carry the bacteria for Lyme disease, causing 10 to 12 cases of Lyme disease in B.C this season. A soft tick in the province’s interior that’s active at night can transmit the bacteria for relapsing fever which an afflicted person struggles with nausea, headache and muscle and joint pain. To protect against ticks, hikers should tuck socks into their pants and wear high boots.
ANTS
B.C.’s has almost 100 ant species, of which the European fire ants are the worst. These ants swarms rapidly when disturbed and stings. The fire ant arrived from Europe some 20 years ago. The European fire ant’s venom is stronger than cobra venom yet they deliver so little of it you don’t get anywhere near as serious a reaction. With increases in temperature, many of the colonies grow faster.
SPIDERS
B.C. is home to around 820 of the country’s 1,400 to 1,500 spider species. Almost all spiders secrete venom and even the jaws of fairly small spiders can break skin if they chomp on tender areas. In B.C., we are most likely to see the giant house spider, the garden cross spider, hobo spiders, daddy-longlegs and wolf spiders. Of course there is the black widow spider, which is common in southwestern B.C. and the Okanagan. Experts say the widow is shy and non-aggressive. Its bite can trigger a condition called latrodectism, which is characterized by muscle contractions and vomiting. Latrodectism can cause priapism in men — a painful erection that just won’t stop.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/delta-great-havens-mosquitoes-randy-bilesky?published=t
https://twitter.com/intent/tweet/complete?url=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2F0SXjVdJczcQ&text=20150824%20094540&latest_status_id=635858500258697216&related=YouTube%2CYouTubeTrends%2CYTCreators&via=YouTube
https://www.blogger.com/blog-this-done.g?blogID=5984546548164342194&isPublished=true
https://www.facebook.com/dialog/share?app_id=87741124305&href=https%3A//www.youtube.com/attribution_link%3Fa%3DxjOYHt0uz5g%26u%3D%252Fwatch%253Fv%253D0SXjVdJczcQ%2526feature%253Dshare&display=popup&redirect_uri=https://www.youtube.com/facebook_redirect
https://www.tumblr.com/widgets/share/tool?shareSource=legacy&canonicalUrl=&posttype=video&content=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D0SXjVdJczcQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D0SXjVdJczcQ&caption=
