Canadians usually do not worry about mosquitoes, ticks, or other insects in early March, however, some entomologists believe that the unusually mild winter in the country may lead to the spread of some pests among people earlier than usual in Canada.

James Tansey, regional entomologist with the Department of Agriculture in Saskatchewan, said: "With rising climate temperatures, the survival capability during winter for a number of different species can improve."

Alice Sinia, an entomologist in Mississauga, Ontario, explained that she expects certain pests to appear earlier than usual, and even to appear in greater numbers during the spring and summer seasons.

She said: "When winter is very mild, large numbers of pests will survive."

Wasps and bees

Plants grow and bloom early due to mild temperatures, and as a result attract insects such as wasps and bees, unless there is heavy snowfall or episodes

Ants

Sidewalk ants are already appearing outside, and these ants tend to appear when the weather is warmer to search for food, so when it is cold they do not come out much, but since the weather is very warm, they tend to come out very early.

Fleas

Certain parts of the country, such as cities or near lakes, are expected to see a slight increase in flea numbers - clouds of them might gather in homes or streets - due to the mild weather.

More rodents, such as mice and rats, will survive due to the mild winter, and rodents tend to enter buildings during winter, but their numbers are likely to increase in early spring.

Ticks

Tick numbers likely continue to increase due to warm weather.

Mosquitoes

If heavy rains fall in spring, this will help the breeding of mosquitoes, because mosquitoes need moisture for their eggs to hatch, and we might see large numbers of mosquitoes in early spring and even summer, if heavy rains fall during spring.

Crop pests

Certain types of grasshoppers are among the most concerning pests in the prairies, and given the excellent conditions for egg laying during relatively mild winter, an increase in numbers of four types of grasshoppers is expected in parts of those provinces; these types of grasshoppers caused significant damage to crops such as soybeans, canola, and wheat across the prairies last year.

Tree-killing species

Chris MacQuarrie, a research scientist with Natural Resources Canada and former president of the Entomological Society of Canada, says that the mild weather will benefit the invasive woolly alder sawfly, which kills alder trees in forests in Nova Scotia and Ontario.