Your safety

 
As Council does not treat individual homes, it is important that residents reduce the number of mosquitoes and potential mosquito breeding sites. Residents can play a vital role in reducing mosquitoes around the home. Inspect your house and yard and remove any accumulation of water by:

• Removing water and wiping containers, such as pot plant saucers and animals’ water containers, with a clean cloth every four days. Put the used cloth into the rubbish.
• Filling pot plant bases with sand or pebbles.
• Ensuring swimming pools are maintained, cleaned and chlorinated.
• Washing out birdbaths, fishponds and ornamental pools weekly and where possible stock with suitable native fish.
• Washing out bromeliads and other water-holding plants weekly.
• Removing containers that could hold water
• Keeping gutters clean and in good repair to prevent the pooling of water and trimming back trees which can block gutters.
• Ensuring rainwater tanks are screened.
• Drilling holes in tyres used for swings and garden surrounds to allow water to drain from them
• Capping brick walls made of Besser and other cavity bricks to prevent water pooling.
• Overturning boats, canoes and dinghies or have drain plugs removed to avoid holding water. 

Residents can reduce the risk of disease from mosquitoes further by:

• Screening windows and doors to prevent mosquitoes coming inside. 
• Limiting the time spent outdoors around dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
• While outside wearing light-coloured loose-fitting clothing – e.g. loose-fitting long sleeve shirts and pants.
• Using mosquito nets, mosquito coils, personal repellents and ceiling fans.
• Sleeping under a mosquito net if you live in an unscreened house or are camping.
• Using air conditioning, fans and mosquito coils.