FEW things are more annoying on a warm summer’s night than a mosquito buzzing in your ear or hiding in your bedroom when you’re trying to go to sleep.<\/p>\n
But, for those unlucky enough, a bite from these tiny pests can have serious, long-term consequences.<\/p>\n
The mosquitoes in our region are species known to carry Ross River Virus, Barmah Forest Virus and Murray Valley Encephalitis.<\/p>\n
People who contract mosquito-borne viruses can develop fever, sore joints and severe illness. While most people recover quickly, others can suffer long-term health consequences.<\/p>\n
Which is why City of Greater Geelong mosquito management officers are using drones to target breeding hot spots across our region to minimise numbers and reduce the risk of mosquito-borne illness.<\/p>\n
Using the drones allows the solid product to be distributed into waterbodies efficiently, requiring less product with little to no unintended areas being treated.<\/p>\n
Deakin Ward, which I represent, is close to some of the areas we’ll be targeting, such as Lake Connewarre and nearby wetlands. So I have a keen interest in our treatment programs.To make the program as effective as possible,City officers target known breeding sites with larvicide when larvae levels are high.<\/p>\n
This prevents these larvae from emerging from the water as adult mosquitos and flying into populated areas.<\/p>\n
The City also applies ground treatments at a variety of sites across the region from August through to May each year.<\/p>\n
As the aerial treatment program gets underway, I want to assure our residents that it is completely safe for the public.<\/p>\n
The products we use are approved by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority for mosquito control around populated areas. This product has been shown to be non-toxic to anything other than mosquitoes and sand flies.<\/p>\n
The City has conducted studies to determine the impact of these treatments on local wildlife, which have shown minimal impact.<\/p>\n
The City continues to monitor these areas as part of our mosquito management program to ensure no negative impacts to the plants and wildlife that live in these sensitive wetlands, and that there are no mosquito-borne illnesses in Greater Geelong<\/p>\n
While we are working actively to reduce mosquito numbers, there also things you can do to protect yourself from being bitten.<\/p>\n
You can empty any still water on your property weekly or remove it completely, to prevent mosquitos using it to breed.<\/p>\n
This includes horse water troughs, bird baths, pet water dishes, old tyres, buckets, tins, rubbish bins and pot plants.<\/p>\n
Maintaining swimming pools and emptying them when not in use and making sure fishponds are stocked with fish will also prevent mosquitos from breeding on your property.<\/p>\n
Where possible, avoid outdoor activities at dawn or dusk and apply mosquito repellent if needed.<\/p>\n
Mosquitoes are attracted to dark colours, so you can also wear long, loose-fitting and light-coloured clothing to prevent being bitten.<\/p>\n
With the City working to reduce mosquito numbers in the region and locals taking a few simple precautions, together we can reduce the risk of long-term harm from mosquito-borne diseases.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FEW things are more annoying on a warm summer’s night than a mosquito buzzing in your ear or hiding in your bedroom when you’re trying to go to sleep. But, for those unlucky enough, a bite from these tiny pests can have serious, long-term consequences. The mosquitoes in our region are species known to carry […]<\/p>\n