Apart from being an annoying nuisance, mosquitoes can potentially deliver diseases such as Ross River Virus Disease, Dengue Fever, Yellow Fever and Malaria (to name a few). Generally, where there is stagnant water there is the possibility of a mosquito breeding site. In addition to this, where there is thick foliage, there will be male mosquitoes waiting to breed.
Mosquitoes will sit down wind and when they sense carbon dioxide from you exercising, or sitting out on the deck, they will travel upwind in search of you. It is only the female which will deliver the bite, however the males are never far away – usually within 10 metres.
What you can do
- Eliminate/empty any stagnant water from areas such as empty buckets, tyres, plant trays, guttering – any area where water can sit stagnant.
- Put sand in outdoor plant trays.
- Seal any holes in water storage tanks, particularly holiday homes and batches.
- Thin out any thick foliage/bushes/hedges that are close to the house. If air can’t flow through, there will likely be mosquitoes resting.
- Ponds that have moving/flowing water are better than still ponds.
- Close your windows at night, or if you prefer to have them open, have insect screens installed.
What we can do
- Spray treatment to the exterior of the building and foliage areas.
- In the case of foliage, we are mainly targeting large leafed foliage which creates a good resting harbourage area.
- In some cases the treatment may need to be reapplied in 3-4 months.
