Calgary’s mild fall causing insects to outstay their welcome

Love the warmer weather but hate the bugs? Unfortunately, they’re a combo deal as temperatures in Calgary continue to be warmer than usual.

Calgary’s temperature Friday peaked at 15 C, and the city at the moment has components of a winter pattern bringing precipitation and warmer-than-normal temperatures.

“This time of year, when it’s normally cold — if it’s abnormally warm, well, those insects can be quite active from crawling around to flying around,” said David Langor, a Canadian Forest Services entomologist.

“All insects are cold-blooded so their activity level is very much dictated by the temperature that’s outside.”

With the exception of a couple of very short-lived snow events, it’s been a drier and warmer fall here in Calgary.

Something Langor believes could be linked to climate change.

Read More: Calgary experiencing El Niño winter

He says there are some insects that were considered foreign to our area that have been showing up closer to home.

“Changes have certainly been happening over recent decades … you see the ranges of subspecies going further north and now creeping into northwest territories,” Langor said.

“Species for the United States are now well established in Canada. Changes in distributions and populations of insects and relatives in recent years are likely due to warming climate.”

And speaking of those foreign insects, there have been some reports of brown recluse spider sightings by our neighbours in the west, B.C., which Langor says could be concerning given the nature of their dangerous venom.

Those spiders are typically found in the southern states.

“What will happen 30, 40, 50 years from now? I don’t know,” he said.

“No one can really predict that. If warming continues — lots of weird things are going to happen.”

-With files from Todd Kaufman