Wildfire smoke has been blasting much of the N.W.T. lately, with air quality advisories in nearly every community Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, much of the territory is also coping with record-breaking heat.

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has issued heat warnings for Yellowknife and many communities in the South Slave, Sahtu and Beaufort Delta regions — where day time temperatures near 30 C and overnight lows near 20 C are expected in the coming days. People are urged to seek out air conditioned spaces to seek relief.

Our Mosquito Magnet trap filled in under a week. We normally empty it once a month or so.

Of the 92 pools of mosquitoes tested, 30 had at least one mosquito that tested positive for California serogroup viruses. There has been one confirmed diagnosis of meningoencephalitis — a severe neurological condition — caused by the snowshoe hare virus. There have been no positive cases yet of West Nile Virus.

It may not come as a surprise, but Yukon has seen an unusually high number of mosquitoes this year — and they aren't physically distancing.

For 300 years, glacial runoff was the major water source for Kluane Lake, flowing in by way of the Slims River. But in May 2016, Kluane Lake levels dropped precipitously. The problem was a case of "river piracy" — incredibly rare, and hugely significant. The terminus or end of the Kaskawulsh glacier had receded enough that a glacial lake that fed the Slims River suddenly drained when the glacier outflow found a new direction to a new river.

There are unusually low numbers of mosquitoes throughout Finland this sweltering summer – and likely fewer than usual next year as well.

April’s high levels of rainfall led to continued flooding across the Greater Toronto Area‘s many beaches, creating a “breeding ground” for mosquitoes and West Nile Virus.

Each spring, it seems, the air of Alaska is filled with the buzz of mosquitoes and the whines of people declaring that this is undoubtedly the worst bug season they've ever experienced. This year they may have a case.