Quote:
Originally Posted by gary
Hi John,
Our very own wavelandscott holds a senior position in a division of a large multinational
chemical company which manufactures products to help combat the global health
problems caused by mosquitoes.
At the latitude of Sydney, they are currently little more than a nuisance but at latitudes
of Brisbane and further north in Australia, they can pose a serious health risk
and one should take steps to avoid being bitten.
As an adjunct to the advice on repellents, one of the best pieces of advice
is to walk around your property and ensure there are no sources of free-standing
water in which they are breeding. Typical sources in the garden can be buckets
left outdoors, empty flower pots, bird baths, ponds, uncovered water tanks, blocked
roof guttering and so on.
Without the water, they can't breed and something as simple as emptying an old
used paint tin that has been sitting outside and has filled with rain water acts as
what WHO refers to as a source reduction vector control.
Further advice is published by NSW Health here -
http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/factshe.../mosquito.html
For organizations such as the company that Scott works for, mosquito control
is literally a matter of life and death for millions of people.
See here for information about a mosquito net product that is helping save lives
in places such as sub-Saharan Africa -
http://www.olyset.net/ |
Thanks for the mention Gary!
I think you are getting some good ideas...find and eliminate standing water breeding grounds is a good first step. Anyplace water accumulates should be a target...old tyres are a favorite! Managing the landscape is a key consideration.
There are many options from there...larvacides, adulticides, repellents and all can be delivered a number of ways to suit your needs. The company I work for manufactures a big percentage of the active ingredients of larvicides and adulticides globally and have recently introduced a new kind of repellent here in the US...Our material is found in most popular (and not so popular) commercial products.
I am not certain of the Australian registration situation at present. What works best is usually a combination of control options. If you live near a municipality that has a mosquito control program you might speak with them about what works best in your area. Different species are sometimes best controlled using different control options.
One option not mentioned might be to look at some of the insect restent clothing sold to hunters...another option is to consider using a lice/nit control shampoo...they contain permethrin and might also help.
Cheers,
