Advice for residents as mozzies swarm the Gold Coast
An explosion in mozzie numbers is making lives hell for residents in multiple suburbs. Here’s what you can do to help keep the pests at bay.
Gold Coast
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First came the tornado. Then the rain.
Now, to top it all, the Gold Coast is under attack like never before.
The sting in the tail of our challenging summer – the extraordinary mosquito numbers found in every inland suburb.
Mozzies have always been part and parcel of life on the Gold Coast, particularly in areas like Helensvale where there is abundant standing water.
But the numbers this year appear to be off the scale, making it difficult to spend time outdoors in any kind of comfort. And the problem is being seen far and wide.
From a Benowa Waters resident this week: “Last night I saw more mozzies than I’ve ever seen in my life, it was horrific.”
From someone in Nerang: “Mozzies everywhere! I can’t even walk outside without hearing mozzies in my ears and landing on me.”
From an Oxenford local: “It’s horrendous here at the moment. Can’t even go outside without getting attacked.”
From a Coomera resident: “We can’t walk our dog after 4pm it’s so bad! We can’t even sit in our yard at night.”
And another: “We are being eaten alive in Ashmore. They are huge.”
Similar comments have been made by residents in Currumbin, Elanora, Labrador – in fact, just about any suburb you can mention.
One woman, who said she runs a family daycare service, reported that the problem was so bad she could not even allow children to play outside with spray on.
Council have declared “war” on the pests. Your columnist has seen the helicopters in action regularly.
On Tuesday alone they were active in Arundel, Coombabah, Coomera, Helensvale, Hope Island, Jacobs Well, Pimpama, South Stradbroke and Steiglitz.
On Wednesday they were due in Biggera Waters, Coombabah, Hollywell, Paradise Point and Runaway Bay, and Thursday in Merrimac and Carrara.
Teams on the ground are also checking and treating known mozzie hot spots.
But with no respite from the rain it’s a tough battle, and as with storm recovery efforts, council has been calling on everyone to do their bit.
“We know some Gold Coasters are already doing it tough right now and unfortunately mosquitoes are an inevitable consequence of a flood,” CEO Tim Baker said.
“We are committed to reducing numbers through our programs but we can all do our bit to reduce numbers and keep ourselves and families safe from these pests.
“Residents can help reduce mosquito numbers by emptying all containers that can hold water following rain.”
There are so many mozzies about at the moment that they are breeding in all sorts of places. Council recommend emptying flower vases, pot plant bases, buckets, bird baths and pet water bowls at least once a week.
With the heavens having opened again on Monday night – 111mm was recorded at Burleigh Waters – that advice remains timely.
We’ll never beat the mosquitoes completely. Not with our climate.
But if we all do what we can, we have a fighting chance of driving the numbers down to something like a more normal level.
SOMETHING WORTH CELEBRATING
Your columnist got a pleasant surprise at the weekend on returning from a long-planned trip to Western Australia to attend a family event.
There was some twisted and broken storm debris I had been unable to remove safely from the front of my house.
It was safe to leave it where it was and the plan was to discuss its removal with my insurer upon my return.
However, when I got back on Saturday, I found someone had been and done the job, leaving the debris in a neat pile by the kerb.
A leaflet in the letterbox provided a clue to who had helped. It was from Disaster Relief Australia, a veteran-led non-profit group with an army of volunteers that helps residents across the country.
I can’t tell you how grateful I am to this wonderful organisation for their help.
Our neighbour had also finally had a palm tree that was resting on their roof removed.
In their case, the work was done by a crew of SES volunteers that had travelled all the way from Victoria to lend a hand to fellow Australians at their time of need.
SES crews also travelled to the Gold Coast from all over New South Wales, with 120 storm and chainsaw specialists spending 12 invaluable days in the city.
Speaking on the Gold Coast with Disaster Relief Australia personnel last week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said they were always where needed.
“At the most difficult of times what we see is the best of the Australian character,” he said.
“In Disaster Relief Australia we see people giving their commitment to make a difference to their fellow Australians when they really need it.”
The experience was a huge reminder that whether Queenslanders or Victorians, Tasmanians or Territorians, we all belong to one big community called Australia. A community that will always have your back.
Come Australia Day next week, that’s something worth celebrating.
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