Stop the Buzz

[Trying]

As the water level recedes in my beautiful Murray river, the mosquitoes are arriving in droves and are ferocious and large enough to carry you away. People are 'under attack' not just near the river but in town too. It seems the only good thing is that they are big enough to see and therefore swat before they bite, but most of us are too slow ! The 'Aussie Wave' has gone to the next level around here. What's the best way to avoid being bitten ?? Any suggestions Workshoppers ??

[Andy_Mann]

Sorry for the delay in posting, but I couldn't remember what it was that when added (a small dose), it spreads evenly over the whole water surface, & suffocates the mosquito lavae. It's Paraffin Oil, & can be used on stagnant ponds, & rainwater tanks,

Another source for mosquito breeding, could be roof gutters. Rarely do they clear all the water to the downpipes, so it could be worthwhile to check for pooling, & if possible, udjust the slope of the gutters to get an effective run-off to downpipes.

[Jason]

Interesting to read this morning that a CSIRO survey of almost 500 backyard rainwater tanks across Melbourne has found one in five were infested with mosquitoes. The biggest culprit was unmeshed overflows. Of the mosquito-infested systems identified, 60 per cent were without mesh, allowing mosquitoes to use the stagnant water as a breeding ground. Inlets were also a common entry point. 

Check your tanks everyone!

Jason