Mosquito control

Small amounts of water can breed large numbers of mosquitoes if the conditions are right. Contact us if you have concerns about mosquitoes and their breeding areas.

  • The breeding season is at its peak from September to May, but breeding does happen all year round.

    • Use repellent containing DEET if you are outside.
    • Wear long sleeve shirts and trousers. Light colours are best.
    • Check around your home for containers holding water and empty them.
    • Check items such as BBQ covers which may be holding water.
    • Spray screens with a deterrent.  
    • Increase light and air movement around dark and damp areas.
    • Treat outdoor areas with products containing Bifenthrin for control over longer periods.
    • Limit time outside around dawn and dusk.
    • Reduce the amount of shrubbery around the house.
    • Throw out containers in the yard that hold water (eg. tyres, tins, jars, etc).
    • Change water in bird baths and pet bowls often.
    • Clean roof gutters on a regular basis.
    • Empty pot plant saucers every week or fill them with sand.
    • Keep swimming pools clean and chlorinated.
    • Keep ornamental ponds and fountains stocked with fish.
    • Create a frog friendly garden.

     

  • Rainwater tanks can provide ideal conditions for mosquitoes and midges to breed. A tiny hole will allow mosquitoes into the tank and the chance for thousands of larvae to develop.

    • Check tanks on a regular basis. Checks should include the screens on every opening, such as the overflow.
    • Containers that hold rainwater, such as drums or mobile tanks are ideal mosquito breeding spots. Fit any holes with mosquito-proof screens.

    See the Queensland Health website http://www.health.qld.gov.au/mozziediseases for information on mosquito diseases and alerts.

Rapid Surveillance for Vector Presence (RSVP) Program

About our project

Council's Environmental Health team is conducting its annual Rapid Surveillance for Vector Presence (RSVP) program in conjunction with Queensland Health. This initiative aims to monitor and assess mosquito populations, particularly focusing on invasive species. The information we gather from these traps is invaluable in helping us understand the local mosquito landscape and ensuring the safety of our community from diseases such as Chikungunya, Dengue Virus, and Zika Virus, which are transmitted by invasive mosquito species.

Have you seen mosquitoes around your home or business?

Council is seeking properties in Kilkivan to allow for the deployment of temporary mosquito Ovitraps in April. The trapping process involves deploying a small bucket-style trap in a sheltered outdoor area of your property for a period of two weeks. The traps are non-intrusive and will not cause any harm to your property. Council officers will ensure the trap is placed in a location that is convenient for you and will remove after the surveillance period is complete. We are looking to deploy these traps in April.

Mosquito ovitrap

Mosquito ovitrap

Mosquito eggs from an ovitrap

Mosquito eggs from an ovitrap

Eligibility criteria:

  • Property is within the township of Kilkivan
  • Can provide a suitable area away from children and pets (heavily shaded, out of the breeze, out of the rain, near humans and on the ground)

Note: Unsuitable yards include those where ovitraps may be disturbed by pets, small children or access by staff is difficult.

Ovitrap placement

Ovitraps create an appealing environment for female mosquitoes to lay eggs. They are designed to simulate a backyard container of stagnant water, which is the ideal habitat for egg-laying of the invasive species targeted by the RSVP program. For this we require a heavily shaded area that is out of the breeze and rain and is on the ground near humans.

If you are willing to have a trap deployed on your property, have any concerns or require further information about the trapping process, please feel free to contact the Environmental Health Team, on 1300 307 800 or by emailing Council@gympie.qld.gov.au.

Ovitrap placement

Ovitrap placement

Useful links for more information

For information on mosquitoes and the diseases they can carry, go to: https://www.health.qld.gov.au/public-health/topics/infection-control/mosquito-borne-dengue

For safety information on (S)-Methoprene, go to: https://pacificbiologics.com.au/larvicides/prolink/

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