Mosquito Management
The City is home to a wide range of organisms, including mosquitoes. Some mosquitoes breed in the saltmarshes that fringe the Peel-Harvey Estuary and its tributaries in stagnant pools of water, through their larval development stage.
A number of mosquito species transmit Ross River and Barmah Forest virus diseases. Debilitating illnesses that have symptoms including painful and swollen joints, sore muscles, aching tendons, skin rashes fever, tiredness, headaches and swollen lymph nodes. For those people who have contracted Ross River virus or Barmah Forest virus the Arthritis Foundation of Western Australia can provide advice on what steps can be taken to cope with the symptoms contact 08 9310 4835 or 0402 084 765.
To reduce disease, mosquito management is required during the peak disease period (August - April). There is approximately 600 hectares (6 million square metres) of saltmarsh potential breeding area therefore it is a MASSIVE task.
Aerial larvicide operations attempt to reduce the mosquito population before they emerge as adults. The granular larvicide used is spread via a helicopter at regular periods (usually fortnightly) throughout the season. This larvicide is mosquito-specific and harmless to other aquatic life present in the estuary. It also allows the mosquito larvae to remain in the saltmarshes so natural predators can consume them.
Key components of the mosquito management program include:
- PRE AND POST TREATMENT SURVEYS Finding out where the mozzies are breeding and how effective treatments have been.
- ADULT TRAPPING Catching, counting and identifying adult mozzies and checking for virus. Results of recent trapping are available by clicking here.
- ADULTICIDING (Fogging) Fogging is used as a last resort as it is a reactive control method and its effectiveness is much lower than larviciding. It can also impact on non-target species such as bees, dragonflies and other insects.
Mosquito numbers vary from month to month, and year to year. The variation is usually due to weather conditions and in the broader sense, climatic conditions. Although the City and others strive to reduce mosquitoes in the Region, there are unfortunately times where this is not the case. In order to reduce mosquito bites and the probability of contracting Ross River or Barmah Forest virus disease, residents and visitors should:
- Reduce exposure at dusk and dawn
- Wear loose fitting full-length clothing
- Use personal insect repellent containing DEET
- Ensure screen doors and windows are secured properly
- Stop mosquito breeding around the home.
Further information about mosquito breeding can be found in the document Mosquito Control in the Peel Region.
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