It’s not printed in the Alaska Hunting Regulations but the mosquito season officially opened in Fairbanks on Sunday. At least it did at my house.
I spotted, heard and killed my first mosquito of the season late Sunday afternoon. It was typical of the blood suckers you see at this time of the season — big, slow and stupid — but it was a mosquito nonetheless so it had to die and I killed it.
I heard it before I saw it. It announced its presence just a second earlier when it buzzed by my ear. I squashed it against my chest with my hand when it landed on my shirt.
There was no feeling of triumph or joy. I did not pose for a picture while holding up its proboscis.
Having eaten many mosquitoes in my 25 years in Alaska and knowing what they taste like, I did not attempt to salvage any meat from the bird, I mean bug, not even the backstrap. I’ve always thought it’s too bad mosquitoes don’t taste like M&Ms.
As is usually the case, the first mosquitoes of the spring accompanied the first “hot” weather of the spring. The temperature hit 59 degrees on both Saturday and Sunday, the first time this spring the temperature at Fairbanks International Airport hit the 50-degree mark.
Who knows what this year’s crop of mosquitoes will be like, but I think it’s safe to say that we’ll be stuck with them — or by them — for the next five months.
Keep your fingers crossed for a deep, hard freeze in the next week or two to wipe out this early batch.
And just in case you were wondering, there is no limit on the number of mosquitoes you can "harvest" during a summer.
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