UBC Researcher Wants Your Slapped, Swatted Mosquitoes

British Columbia has 50 known species of mosquitoes, and the Yukon has more than 30. Unfortunately, knowledge gaps exist when it comes to understanding the complete distribution of indigenous and invasive mosquitoes in these regions.

That’s why Dan Peach wants your slapped and swatted mosquito carcasses. Peach is a scientist, mosquito expert and postdoctoral fellow who works in the Ben Mathews Lab at the University of British Columbia.

This summer and fall, he’s asking residents of B.C. and the Yukon to mail him their squished mosquito specimens as part of a citizens science project. The data collected will help researchers create current mosquito distribution maps. Data also will be used to model species distribution shifts in the future, helping scientists to predict where mosquitoes move due to climate change.

No specific deadline exists for submitting mosquitoes. “It does depend on how long the mosquitoes are active,” wrote Peach in an email. “I imagine they will taper off in the fall, but it's hard to say exactly when.”

To submit a specimen, fold the mosquito in a piece of paper on which is written the date of collection and location (address, cross street or latitude/longitude coordinates from Google Maps). Include your email address if you want to learn the species of the mosquito you submitted.