Mosquitoes

There are more than 275 mosquito species in Australia. Only a few species bite humans, and even less carry human diseases.

In Victoria, mosquito-borne diseases include:

• Murray Valley encephalitis
• Ross River virus
• Barmah Forest virus

Managing mosquitoes

The City manages mosquitoes on Council land. There may be a mosquito breeding site (near stagnant water, with a large number of mosquitoes in one area) in the City’s parks and gardens, please contact us with the specific address so we can investigate.

If the site is not on Council land, we will refer the complaint to the relevant land manager. It is important to remember that we will not be able to remove all breeding sites. 

 

Managing mosquitoes on your property

Mosquitoes can breed in very small amounts of water. To help manage mosquito numbers on your property, we encourage you to check your properties and remove potential sources of stagnant water such as septic tanks, ponds and pools, pot plants, water tanks and even roof gutters.

Here are some simple ways you can reduce mosquito numbers on your property:

• Change your animal’s drinking water and bird baths regularly
• Keep lawns trimmed to reduce the areas for mosquitoes to breed
• Regularly clean gutters and drains
• Remove any items where water can collect, such as unused pots and tyres
• Keep swimming pools well maintained or covered (or empty) if not in use

You can find more information about mosquito management on the Better Health Website.

Protecting yourself from bites

Here are a few simple ways to help protect yourself from mosquito bites both indoors and outdoors:

• Use insect repellents containing picaridin or DEET as an active ingredient
• Wear long, loose-fitting clothing when outdoors
• Ensure that insect screens fitted to doors and windows are in good condition
• Use ‘knockdown’ sprays, plug-in ‘zapper’ vaporisers or mosquito coils

   

You can find more information about mosquito protection on the Better Health Website.