It’s mosquito season, and early summer rains are making them more of a nuisance than usual

ABC NEWS (Australia)

They’re the scourge of the summer in the top end, disturbing dinner parties, interrupting a good night’s sleep, and in some cases, spreading deadly diseases. With successive high tides and early seasonal rain, mosquitos are now out in full force.

Transcript

00:00Is there anything more annoying than a mosquito when you're trying to sleep?

00:09OK, maybe that.

00:13Mosquitoes love the wet weather.

00:18Storms, high tides, rain.

00:21Altogether they create the perfect breeding ground for mozzies to increase their numbers.

00:25A swarm of mosquitoes can travel up to 50 kilometres to find a meal.

00:29Attracted to the CO2 we breathe as well as fragrances,

00:33and your DNA could be the reason they find you so tasty.

00:37If you've got a certain skin composition, they can smell the chemicals

00:41and that's another cue to hone in on you.

00:44A mosquito may be small, but their impact can be deadly.

00:48The salt marsh mosquito can give you Ross River virus.

00:51Some of the freshwater mosquitoes can also give you Ross River virus,

00:56but also the potentially fatal Murray Valley encephalitis virus.

01:00A quarter of people who contract that disease might pass away as well.

01:05To avoid getting bit, take preventative measures.

01:09Wear light-coloured clothing and spray repellent on any exposed skin.

01:14And use airborne insecticides.

01:17Keep your property tidy, including mowing your lawn and tip out containers of water.

01:23Old tyres, pot plant drip trays, your gutters, everything fills up with water.

01:28And all these items can breed mosquitoes.

01:31If you've got a fish pond, you can just stock it up with native fish

01:35and they actually feed on the mosquito larvae.

01:38Dragonflies actually feed on adult mosquitoes.

01:41Bats do as well.

01:43Biting the bugs back.

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