Council steps up mosquito control
Date published: 18 March 2016
The Townsville City Council vector control staff will step up mosquito spraying across the city, targeting parks and drains, following this week’s heavy rain.
Council’s executive manager of Environmental Health Gavin Hammond said the city was experiencing high numbers of mosquitoes after a combination of rain and high tides had created ideal breeding conditions.
“Council’s ground control crews have been spraying every day, and will continue to focus on parks and drains in suburbs where there is surface water lying around,” Mr Hammond.
“Mosquitoes are in big numbers across the city, which is unfortunately something that goes hand in hand with our wet seasons.
“While council will be stepping up control measures, residents are advised to take some precautions and use repellent when they’re out in the yard.
“The extremely wet conditions have made control measures very difficult. Spraying is effective on larvae, but not on mosquitoes once they’re on the wing.”
As well as the daily ground controls, the council conducted another full aerial treatment of the Townsville area for saltmarsh mosquitoes last week, the ninth for the season so far.
Mr Hammond also urged residents to empty containers in yards that could be potential breeding sites for the backyard breeder Aedes egypti mosquito, which can carry the dengue and Zika viruses.
