What’s the buzz? Mosquito numbers rising

After a very wet summer and with the weather still warming up, Northern Beaches mosquito populations have been booming since late January.

While it’s not an Aussie summer without the appearance of mosquitoes, these irritating insects can be more than just an annoyance. Read on to see how you can reduce the number of mosquitoes in your backyard.

Last summer, Council in collaboration with NSW Health trapped 13,480 mosquitoes with 11 found to be carrying Ross River virus or Barmah Forest virus, both diseases of public health concern. The mosquitoes with the virus detected were trapped at Narrabeen Lagoon (Deep Creek) and Warriewood Wetlands.  

Since December 2020, the trapping program has continued at these two locations and after a slow start, with low numbers of mosquitoes caught, numbers jumped in late January as the weather remained wet, but the heat and humidity climbed.

Less than 50 mosquitoes per week were caught until late January, but since then, over 100 mosquitoes have been trapped in Warriewood and Deep Creek each week. None of the mosquitoes captured were found to be carrying any viruses, and if they should, a public health alert will be advised. Weekly surveillance results of the program can be viewed on the NSW Health website. 

While no mosquitoes have recently been found to carry any viruses, residents, school students, visitors, and workers in the area should remain vigilant and take precautions to avoid being bitten.

To avoid mosquito bites, remember to always wear long, loose-fitting clothing to minimise skin exposure, choose and apply a repellent that contains either Diethyl Toluamide (DEET), Picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), be aware of peak mosquito times at dawn and dusk and keep your yard free of standing water where the mosquitos can breed.

There are plenty of ways you can be more mosquito aware around your home. Keeping your lawns mowed and removing all water-holding items like containers, kids toys, and even pot plant trays is an easy place to start. You should also flush out birdbaths and water-holding plants like bromeliads once a week. Check the bucket holding your worm ‘wee’ too – mozzies love it in there. Check out this NSW Health page for more tips on how to control mosquitoes around the home.

If you like to know more about what Council is doing to reduce the risk of mosquitoes to the community, read the Northern Beaches Council Mosquito Management Plan.