Anyone who circulates in the rural region has already been “purchased” by “strike on board”, deer fly or taon, in short tabanids. No matter the name, the result is the same: Ayoye! Outch! Tab?%$#! And it is more common this summer.
These small flying beasts have formidable mandibles, designed to cut the skin and cause blood – that of humans like that of breeding animals.
And like musicals, they are in a splendid period.
Of the babbles!
Why this omnipresence? As with many “babies”, simply because spring is hasty, summer extends and winter is historically milder. You will have to get used to it.
This is the opinion of André-Philippe Drapeau Picard, training biologist and research agent at the Montreal insectarium. He observes that current conditions – heat, humidity, early spring – extend the activity season of insects and allow several species to complete more reproductive cycles.
Founded impression?
Result: an impression often founded that these bibittes There are more numerous, more stubborn … and above all more present. Basically because they are there … longer. But it is also revealing of the human that we are, according to the entomologist.
“This is a question that comes back every summer. In insectarium, we receive media calls, year after year, still with the same premise: “Are there more than last year?” This recurring perception often says more about our tolerance-or our sensitivity-than on the real state of insect populations, “underlines André-Philippe Picard flag.
“That said, this year, indeed, we have had conditions conducive to the proliferation of certain species of insects, in particular biting insects such as mosquitoes which have aquatic larvae. This is also the case of the tapes, although in the case of this species, we are limited to our impressions since we do not make a standardized inventory of it, “he added, indicating, however, that the public can document the trend by identifying his observations on the inaturalist website.
The abundance of rain, accumulation of water holes followed by hot days cause “baby booms”. Spring and summer 2025 are perfectly written in this description.
At GDG Environnement, a company specializing in the fight against biting insects which have contracts with around thirty municipalities for controlling the larvae of mosquitoes and black flies, the observations are less nuanced.
“This is an exceptional year for mosquitoes, black flies and tabanids,” confirms Jean-Simon Bédard, manager of the company operations established in Trois-Rivières for 41 years.
He notes that the sudden showers followed by heat offer the conditions of massive hatching perfect for the larvae in gestation.
Fortunately, although the deer flies are in good French “Ben Gossants”, they are not dangerous from a public health perspective. Unlike some flying insects.
A public health problem
Indeed, the Maringouins who were once only a summer inconvenience now take a more serious turn. The Western Nile Virus (VNO), transmitted by mosquitoes, has been up in Quebec for over 20 years. And for the first time in 2024, human cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis, also transmitted by these critters, were identified in the province.
“These viruses circulate between mosquitoes and birds, but humans can be accidentally infected,” said Miarisoa Rindra Rakotoarinia, scientific advisor at Inspq.
And the trend is clear, she observes: with climate change, vector diseases are gaining ground.
Precisely, the Inspq cartography since 2002 the areas where the Western Nile virus circulate and the mosquitoes which transmit it – the Culex pipiensits main vector. These cards, updated with climatic projections for 2030, 2050 and 2080, help target regions at risk.
The objective: better, by crossing climate, population and public health.
But according to the ISPQ, the conditions become more and more favorable to its proliferation, especially in southern Quebec, and this risk could extend north by 2050 or 2080. The more hot it is, the larger the transmission season … and the more the risks increase.
THE babbles go up!
With the warmer summers but especially the clearer winters, some “Bébittes “ exotic also move towards more northern latitudes.
“The case of ticks is a good example, arthropods [un grand groupe dont les insectes font partie] Who are currently taking advantage of climate upheavals, illustrates André-Philippe Picard flag of insectarium. The winters are less and less harsh. However, this season acted historically as an ecological filter in Quebec: the cold prevented several exotic insects from establishing itself. Today, more and more manage to survive … and to settle. ”
“The zika, chikungunya and dengue virus and dengue are exotic diseases, especially present in tropical countries, which are not transmitted here for the moment,” adds Miarisoa Rindra Rakotoarinia. However, the tiger mosquito or Aedes albopictusthe main vector of these viruses, has already been detected in southern Ontario and Vermont, just a hundred kilometers from the Quebec border. ”
She believes that her distribution area will extend and reach Quebec in the coming years.
“Increased entomological monitoring and public health notices could then become necessary to prevent risks,” she insists.
Pending monitoring
Ironically, Quebec suspended its entomological surveillance in 2022, after almost two decades of observation. Between 2003 and 2021, weekly mosquito collections made it possible to identify the presence of the VNO on the territory.
According to the ministry, the strategy in place did not offer enough data to predict the intensity of the coming seasons or to effectively adjust public health interventions.
As a result, it was abandoned until the “scientific group on diseases transmitted by the Mosquitoes of the Inspq offers an entomological surveillance strategy which meets the needs”.
A decision that the scientific advisor Miarisoa RAKOTRAIRINIA deplores strongly.
“It is nerve as information and, yet, we no longer follow mosquitoes on the ground,” she deplores. This prevents us from quickly detecting new threats. ”
BTI in the sights
To contain the populations of certain insects, the privileged solution remains the BTI, an authorized biolarvicide in Quebec for this kind of control. It is a bacteria which specifically targets the larvae of mosquitoes and black flies. But its use divides.
Certain municipalities, such as Trois-Rivières, invest massively in supervised treatments. Others, like Quebec City, simply refuse to use it.
“There are cities that invoke the precautionary principle to prohibit its use,” explains Jean-Simon Bédard. Others contact us each year for estimates but hesitate to take the plunge. ”
By the way, the BTI does not act against the deer fly. According to the Director General of GDG Environnement, other means of action against biting insects, such as those used in other Canadian provinces such as Ontario, are prohibited here. “Quebec has strict regulation,” he salutes.
On the insectarium side, the position is clear: it is better to learn to live with insects than to seek to eliminate them.
“The BTI also affects other aquatic insects,” emphasizes André-Philippe Drapeau-Picard. And mosquitoes are a food resource for many species: fish, bats, birds… ”
Between human comfort and ecological balance
On the one hand, companies like GDG defend a measured approach: reduce the nuisance without eradicating. On the other, experts call for caution in the face of interventions that upset ecosystems. In the middle, public health tries to deal with a changing reality, without suitable surveillance tools.
“We cannot depend on chance or perceptions to decide on the actions to be taken,” says André-Philippe Picard flag. You have to document. ”
What about prevention? Reducing stagnant sources of water and favoring personal protection as long clothes in pale colors with anti -“babitte” creams or vaporizers are all solutions to favor.
