Summer reminder to be wary of mosquitoes during the coming months

Published on 18 December 2024

Gladstone Regional Council is reminding residents and visitors to the region to take precautions where necessary to avoid being bitten by a mosquito.

Mosquitoes are a part of our natural environment and breed in both fresh and salt water.

While we cannot eradicate them completely, we can take precautions to protect ourselves from being bitten.

There are two things that residents can do to protect themselves from mosquitoes:

1. Eliminate breeding areas around the house
   • Inspect your house and yard and remove any accumulations of water such as empty pot plant bases
   • Clean roof gutters out regularly
   • Ensure rainwater tanks are screened
   • Keep swimming pools maintained
   • Wash out bird baths, fish ponds and ornamental pools weekly.
2. Preventing bites
   • Limit time outdoors at peak biting periods (around dawn and dusk)
   • Apply mosquito repellents regularly to exposed skin
   • Wear light coloured clothing with long sleeve/long pants when outdoors
   • Screen doors and windows, use mosquito nets
   • Use mosquito coils or vaporizers.

What is Gladstone Regional Council doing to control mosquitoes?

• Council has a Mosquito Management Plan that we administer, this includes the inspection and treatment of known breeding sites on Council land including parks, gardens, Council facilities, roads and drainage systems
• Throughout the year and particularly from October to May, Council monitor and treat breeding sites to reduce the number of mosquitoes affecting residents
• Due to the sensitive nature of the environment in which mosquitoes breed, only approved, environmentally safe products are used
• Council’s preferred option for mosquito control is the use of larvicides. Larvicides kill mosquito larvae and/or prevent the emergence of adult mosquitoes
• The use of adulticides (fogging) that kill mosquitoes at the adult stage
  • Threshold triggers need to be met for Council to consider fogging that kill mosquitoes at the adult stage
• Due to the extent of potential breeding sites, it is not always possible to eliminate large adult populations from affecting residential areas. Council will record, investigate and monitor complaints received from the public. However, in some situations, it is impractical to implement control measures.