So you're swatting and swiping and dodging mosquitoes! The lingering late summer weekend BBQ is suddenly being invaded by the pesky biters! You get in the car and one follows you, leaving you blindly swatting around your head as you drive.
Early Autumn 2014 in Brisbane feels like a sudden invasion of mosquitoes. The normally balmy days and cooler evenings are still quite warm and the air is filled with the pesky black bugs.
Everywhere people are commenting that there are so many more mosquitoes than is normal for this time of year. So is there a reason, and what can we do about it?
Mosquito - Wikipedia
In February the Brisbane City Council was reporting a concern that the weather and high tides were perfect breeding conditions for mosquitoes and that a plague of mosquitoes was highly probable. Lord Mayor Graham Quirk advised on 6 February 2014 that the Council would be increasing their mosquito spraying across the city.
"Over 100 millimetres of rain across the city on 23 January plus two king tides in the same month have jump-started the breeding season for mosquitoes following recent dry conditions," Cr Quirk said.
"Council's team is already on the job and are well prepared to act in the case of further showers and king tides, which can be the catalysts for the hatching of dormant mosquito eggs.
"Council staff monitors approximately 2800 known breeding sites, which can range from large scale saltmarshes to temporary and semi-permanent ground pools."
Cr Quirk said despite a robust management system, the program can never eliminate all mosquitoes and residents should take their own measures to limit the impact of mosquitoes
"We spray many thousands of hectares both aerially and on ground level, but variables such as wind direction and intense breeding in individual small pools mean the job of mosquito management is ongoing. Council is also there to act in the case of reports of isolated outbreaks from residents."
Cr Quirk said hot spots during heavy rain periods usually included river and creek suburbs within 10 kilometres of the river mouth and Council also regularly targeted coastal suburbs impacted by high tides such as the Boondall and Tinchi Tamba Wetlands in Brisbane's north and the Wynnum, Hemmant and Tingalpa Creeks to the south.
[Extract of a press release from Councillor Geraldine Knapp's website]
How can we help prevent the spread of mosquitoes?
Mosquito coils, mosquito bracelets and repellent will all help to prevent you and your family getting bitten by the dreaded mosquito! You can also help by ensuring there is no stale still water around your home or stagnant rain water puddles for more than a day or two.
The Council lists their top 5 methods to manage mosquitoes at home as:
1. Ensure rainwater tanks and all other exposed water containers are sealed, covered or emptied.
2. Use repellents containing the active ingredients Picaridin or DEET. These are proven to be the most effective means of personal protection.
3. Wear loose fitting, light coloured clothing when outdoors. As well as detecting carbon dioxide human's exhale, mosquitoes use infra-red signals to locate warm-blooded targets. Dark clothing gives a stronger signal and is more likely to attract mosquitoes.
4. Use mosquito nets and screens to protect your home and outdoor areas.
5. Use 240V plug-ins, mosquito coils and lanterns to ward off local populations, but be sure to follow manufacturers' instructions.
(From Councillor Geraldine Knapp's
website)
Happy swatting!
