SW mosquito alert

The City of Busselton is ramping up its mosquito management and public education programs as higher-than-average rainfall is predicted to fuel mosquito populations this summer.

Department of Water figures show South West rainfall and streamflow as sitting above average for the year.

City of Busselton senior environmental health officer Jane Cook said this increase in rainfall could see a spike in mosquito numbers in coming months, particularly if further spring and summer rainfall is received as part of the La Nina weather pattern.

Ms Cook said the City was monitoring mosquito populations in wetlands and salt marsh areas in the region and the results would determine the City’s course of action.

Methods will likely involve a combination of aerial treatment by helicopter, and spot treating high-risk areas.

Ms Cook said while monitoring and treatment activities were effective, mosquitoes would always be a “fact of life” for South West residents.

However, the City has joined five other local councils in an awareness campaign, Fight The Bite, which aims to educate the public on mosquitoes and mosquito-borne illnesses.

The campaign comes in response to conditions forecast to increase South West mosquito populations, heightening risk of diseases such as Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus.

City health services manager Tanya Gillett said last summer saw relatively low numbers of mosquitoes, but changing environmental conditions suggested a more “typical” summer was on the cards.

“Our monitoring is showing rapidly increasing numbers of mosquito larvae in wetlands from Harvey to Bunbury and south to the Busselton area,” she said.

“We have a scheduled program of aerial treatments, which will begin soon, but we do need people to help us ‘fight the bite’.”

Ms Gillett and Ms Cook urged the public to protect themselves by using repellent, wearing loose clothing, removing stagnant water from properties, and avoiding excessive outdoor exposure, particularly at dawn and dusk.

For more information on the campaign, visit www.fightthebite.com.au .