Mosquito Management during the Summer Storm Season
Mosquito numbers are likely to increase due to the rainfall that the region has experienced, and over the ‘Wet Season' months. View our Fact Sheets for more information.
Things you can do to protect yourself:
Use repellent containing DEET if you are outside;
Wear long sleeve shirts and trousers -light colours are best;
Check around the home for any containers holding water and empty; and
Check items such as BBQ covers which maybe holding water.
Small amounts of water can breed large numbers of mosquitoes under the right conditions.
Around the house:
Spray screens with residual products;
Increase light and air movement around dark and damp areas;
Outdoor areas can be treated with products containing BiFenthrin for control over longer periods; and
Limit time outside around dawn and dusk.
What Council is doing:
When conditions require, we conducting fogging in Normanton and Karumba.
The chemicals used in the Carpentaria Shire Fogging Programme, include:
Twilight® ULV Mosquito Adulticide Concentrate
DC Tron Plus
Areas that Mosquitos breed:
Containers
Containers such as plant saucers, tyres, blocked guttering or buckets provide ideal sites for Aedes notoscripts to breed. These mosquitoes are active day and night and are very common in the shaded areas around houses.
This species can also be active during the winter months. The female is small with white markings on its head, body and legs. The adults can emerge in as little as five days.
Above: Containers around the house that breed mosquitos
Reducing Mosquitoes in your Backyard:
Residents can do a lot to reduce mosquito numbers around their houses including:
Throwing out containers in the yard that hold water (eg. tyres, tins, jars, etc);
Changing water in bird baths and pet bowls frequently;
Cleaning roof gutters on a regular basis;
Emptying pot plant saucers every week or filling them with sand;
Keeping swimming pools clean and chlorinated;
Keeping ornamental ponds and fountains stocked with fish; and
Creating a frog-friendly garden.
Mosquitoes and Rainwater Tanks:
Rainwater tanks can provide ideal conditions for mosquitoes and midges to breed. A hole the size of a matchstick end is enough to allow mosquitoes into the tank and for thousands of larvae to develop. Tanks must be checked on a regular basis.
Checks should include the screens on every opening, such as the overflow. Other containers used to hold rainwater, such as drums or movable tanks, will also provide ideal mosquito breeding locations. Any holes must be fitted with mosquito-proof screens.
If you have any concerns about mosquitoes and their breeding areas, please contact Council. For more information about Mosquito Borne Disease Prevention please follow the link to the Queensland Government website.