| Mosquitoes aren’t typically the fodder for mid-winter outdoor columns.
But when you go hiking in Kananaskis in mid-January and come across a swarm of the bloodthirsty bastards, things change.
True story. On the way into Lillian Lake last month, when the temperatures were unseasonably warm, mosquito-like creatures flew past us – thankfully – on several occasions.
So, what gives? Isn’t there any time of year we are free from an attack by the country’s best-equipped air force? Maybe not.
This nightmare could be reality, says Andrew Gaffney, entomological technician with the City of Calgary.
"It is not really common to see active adult mosquitoes in the Calgary area in January, but it is not impossible either," he explains. "There are some species of mosquitoes that will overwinter as adults, and when it gets warm enough they could become active."
Since I hadn’t taken a picture of the mosquitoes, or killed one of the bastards, Gaffney says it’s impossible to identify the species. On the other hand, John Acorn of TV’s Acorn: The Nature Nut says they were likely flies that look like mosquitoes.
Either way, finding a flying insect alive in mid-January seems a bit odd.
Gaffney says many insects produce an antifreeze-like substance in their blood that protects them from the winter’s cold. Warm weather eventually wakes the critters from their pseudo-hibernation.
So does this mean winter hikers, snowshoers, cross-country skiers, ice climbers et al. should add bug dope to their packs?
"I would not worry too much about it in the winter, since there are few, if any, insects in the winter and even those that you may encounter will not be really active," Gaffney says. "(Besides), most people are well covered in the winter."
Whew.
A BURNING DIFFERENCE
The difference between Canadians and Americans is nowhere more apparent than on a hockey rink. But it is also evident in the hockey shop.
On the ice, players from both countries may wear the same equipment, be equally talented and be just as well coached. However, one glaring distinction quickly makes itself known – most of the Canadians shoot left-handed, while the majority of the American players fire the puck right-handed. Watching the Mac’s Midget Hockey Tournament over Christmas, this fact became readily apparent.
A buddy, Mike, who now resides in Denver, Colorado, noticed this difference within weeks of running a hockey shop in the city of the Avalanche. He says the right-handed sticks would fly out the door. The left-handed stick section, in contrast, looked more like a senior’s home, with its inhabitants sitting lonely, growing more brittle by the minute and longing for human touch.
Others have made this observation as well. In his book The Stick, sports commentator Bruce Dowbiggin writes that 70 per cent of Canadian players shoot left, while 70 per cent of U.S. players shoot right. (He also notes that 90 per cent of Europeans shoot left.)
There are many possible explanations for this incongruity, such as the placement of the dominant hand or political persuasion. None are conclusive. (Curiously, this difference doesn’t apply to women’s hockey, where most Canadian women shoot from the right side.)
There’s another striking contrast between Canucks and Yanks that comes from the hockey shop. According to Mike in Denver, many hockey-loving people in Colorado buy their equipment, including skates, over the Internet. Nowadays, the higher-end skates are placed in a specially designed oven to help mould the boot to the buyer’s foot.
And that’s how you can tell the difference between Canadians and Americans – we don’t burn our skates. |
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