When a bite needs a doctor
healthdirect says to see a doctor urgently, or go to an emergency department, if a rash, fever or chills, headache, joint or muscle pain, or fatigue follows mosquito bites. Some people also react strongly, with large swelling, blisters or fever. If someone needs urgent help, call 000.
Where they breed around a house
Backyard mosquitoes start life in still water, and NSW Health's list is a good tour of a typical yard: buckets, tyres, toys, bird baths, pet bowls, pot plant bases, blocked gutters and unscreened rainwater tanks.
Timing is on your side. Eggs need standing water for about a week to finish developing, which is why NSW Health says to clear water holders at least weekly. Tip, scrub and refill the bird bath and pet bowl; turn over anything that collects rain.
When they're worst
Different species bite at different times of day, so there's no hour you can fully count on. In NSW, mosquito surveillance runs from October or November to April or May; in Victoria, weekly trapping typically runs from November to April. In Queensland, most Ross River virus cases come between February and May, and the state advises avoiding the outdoors when mosquitoes are heavy, such as early evenings in the warmer months.
Some places breed their own. Queensland's salt marsh mosquito breeds after spring tides and heavy rain, and tipping out buckets won't change that. Brisbane City Council runs its mosquito program all year.
Disease is a health department matter
healthdirect lists Ross River virus, Barmah Forest virus, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, Murray Valley encephalitis and West Nile or Kunjin virus among mosquito-borne diseases in Australia, plus Buruli ulcer and, rarely, malaria. Some towns in Queensland also have the dengue mosquito, which breeds in containers and junk around houses.
Protection from those diseases comes from your state health department's advice: repellent, covering up and screens. Don't rely on a pest treatment for it, and check the health department for current local warnings.
What keeps them down
You can
- Empty or refresh every water holder at least weekly, and clear the gutters.
- Screen the rainwater tank inlets and overflow.
- Fit fly screens on windows, doors, vents and chimneys, as NSW Health suggests, and patch any holes.
- Sleep under a mosquito net if screens aren't possible.
- Wear loose, light coloured long sleeves and pants outside at peak times.
Leave to a pest business
- A treatment of the shady plants and spots where adult mosquitoes rest, before a big event or in a heavy season.
- Advice on breeding spots you can't reach, like a blocked roof gutter or a neglected pond.
Before a yard treatment, ask
- Which product will you use, and what's its full name?
- Where exactly will you apply it, and how long should people and pets stay off?
- We have fish in a pond and a veggie patch: how will you plan around them?
- What results should I expect, and for how long, in writing?
What we'd do about the mosquitoes around the house
We'd do a full lap of the yard tipping out water, fix the screens and keep repellent by the back door. If the yard is still unusable after that, a pest business can look at where they're resting and breeding: tap Not sure what it is and say mosquitoes.
Want someone to look at it?
Tell us what you've seen and your postcode, and a local pest business that handles exactly that calls you to talk it through.
