MOSQUITO MANAGEMENT 

The Shire of Carnarvon has a comprehensive mosquito management program in place involving monitoring, treatment and communication activities.  These activities occur annually with the mosquito season commencing in August and concluding in January.

Mosquito Management 

Shire Environmental Health Officers monitor the king tides to identify periods when saltmarsh breeding should be checked including carrying out aerial survey of surrounding saltmarshes in known breeding areas such as the One Tree Point area about 5 km from the centre of Carnarvon.   Where larvae is found, the Shire Environmental Health Officers treat the area by wading through the water and samphire habitat. Past success rates have resulted in 60-80% reduction of mosquitoes.

While saltmarsh mosquitoes (Aedes vigilax) have been known to occur in Carnarvon from December, typically the main season for them here is April through June.

We recommend that residents ensure that any screen doors and windows are in good repair to enable night-time ventilation in the summer conditions without letting in the mosquitoes.

Midges 

Midges love the wet, cool conditions. These aren’t known for spreading any diseases to humans but they can bite exposed skin in large numbers which can result in irritating and painful bite marks. They breed in wet grassy or muddy areas and it takes at least 3 weeks after hatching in wet conditions to the emergence of adult midges. The appearance of adults is often associated with new and full moons.

Biting midges are one of the most difficult groups of insects to control as no chemicals are currently registered in Australia to control their breeding sites and there is no effective chemical control of adult midges.

Fight the Bite Campaign 

There is no cure or vaccine to protect against mosquito-borne diseases acquired in Australia. The only way to prevent infection is to avoid being bitten.

WA Health’s Fight the Bite campaign aims to educate individuals on simple ways to prevent being bitten and reduce mosquito breeding around their home/holiday accommodation.

Useful Links: 

Fight the Bite - Business/ Community Resources 

Fight the Bite - Household/ Community Information