Posted June 17, 2026 3:10 pm
2 min read
A mosquito is shown in a laboratory in Strathroy, Ont., on May 10, 2007. They will be studied on B.C.'s North Shore this summer. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dave Chidley.
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We’re going to be learning more about mosquitoes in B.C. this summer and their public health risk.
The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) Department of Zoology will be collecting and testing mosquitoes on the North Shore.
This is being done in partnership with the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation), District of North Vancouver, District of West Vancouver and City of North Vancouver.
“We’re excited to bring mosquito surveillance to a more densely populated area of coastal B.C., and collaborate with Vancouver Coastal Health, UBC Department of Zoology, First Nations and municipal partners to learn more about mosquito species and the pathogens they can carry on the North Shore of Vancouver,” Dr. Anya F. Smith, principal investigator and senior scientist with Public Health Response at BCCDC, said in a statement.
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The goal is to understand what mosquitoes may be carrying that could be passed on to animals and humans.
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Virus carrying mosquitoes in Sea-to-Sky region
As the weather gets warmer and climate change affects how long hot and dry weather continues, more mosquitoes can complete their life cycle quicker and the population can grow.
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That means more people could get bitten.
“These warmer days also allow areas that were previously too cold to support the life cycle of mosquitoes to become potential new habitat for invasive and endemic species,” said BCCDC vector specialist Stefan Iwasawa, who’s leading fieldwork for the project.
On June 1, the BCCDC announced that a mosquito surveillance project was launched in 2025 after a cluster of pediatric encephalitis cases in the Whistler area detected invasive species and evidence of California serogroup virus (CSGv) among mosquitoes in the Sea-to-Sky region.
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Researchers said that this year’s project expands on that pilot project, meaning mosquito traps will be set at several sites on the North Shore. Samples will be collected and tested for CSGvs and West Nile virus.
People enjoying the outdoors should wear protective clothing that mosquitoes cannot bite through, avoid dark coloured clothing as it can attract mosquitoes and use mosquito repellent that is federally registered, such as those containing DEET or icaridin.
Mosquitoes are most active from dusk to dawn.
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