Published on Thursday, 22 December 2022 at 9:22:36 AM
The Shire acknowledges and is aware of the significant number of mosquitos within the shire in particular the townsites and recreation areas and understand the impact that this is having on our community across the Shire.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has declared a third La Niña event in a row which is a rare occurrence. La Niña climatic events traditionally result in a greater intensity of mosquito breeding and challenging environmental conditions that make managing mosquitos much more difficult.
This has been the case for the last two seasons.
As we head into the warmer months, we encourage you to be mosquito aware and protect yourself from mosquito bites and mosquito borne disease.
You can do this by...
• Covering Up – wear long, loose-fitting, light-coloured clothing, covering as much of the body as you can.
• Repel – When outdoors, apply insect repellent containing DEET (diethyltoluamide) or picaridin evenly to exposed skin
• Remove stagnant water from around your home and keeping pools clean
What can I do to protect myself and my home?
• Reduce outdoor activities during dawn and dusk
• Cover up by wearing light coloured long sleeve shirts and long pants that are loose fitting
• Apply personal insect repellent containing DEET or Picaridin if possible
• Ensure fly screens to doors and windows are fitted and maintained
Check your property for potential breeding sources:
• Empty pot plant bases weekly or fill the base with sand to absorb water
• Bromeliads and other water holding plants should be washed out weekly
• Clean roof gutters out regularly and trim back trees which can block gutters
• Ensure rainwater tank overflow pipes are screened and access covers fitted securely
• Keep swimming pools maintained
• Ensure plumbing and vents to septic tanks are screened
• Wash out birdbaths and ornamental pools weekly.
Fogging treatments are only a short-term treatment, lasting for approximately 72 Hours. This is not a long-term variable solution.
In the future, the Shire aims to treat local water bodies, where practical, with the use of Chemical control (larvicides), which aims to treat the mosquitoes as larvae, while they are contained within an aquatic environment, rather than as flying adults.
However, it is important that we all work together and try to minimise stagnant water around our homes and places of work.
Please contact the Shire Administration office with any further questions or enquiries: shire@wongan.wa.gov.au
Back to All News