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Speaker 1: But from now until December, biting megie numbers are expected

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Speaker 1: to peak around Darwin's coastal areas. NT Health says the

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Speaker 1: presence of Medjeek's is dependent on phases of the moon,

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Speaker 1: and around full and new moons they leave mangrove breeding

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Speaker 1: sites in search of a blood meal. Now joining us

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Speaker 1: on the line to tell us more is the medical

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Speaker 1: entomology director Nina Kurtz. Good morning to you, Nina.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, good morning, Katie.

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Speaker 1: Great to have you on the show. Now, Nina, it

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Speaker 1: sounds like something out of a vampire movie, but I

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Speaker 1: felt like we had a full moon this morning. Are

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Speaker 1: the midgies out?

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Speaker 2: They are certainly out, and you just summed it up

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Speaker 2: very nicely. So this is the time of the year,

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Speaker 2: from August to December when we get the most sooner

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Speaker 2: rains where the biting midgies are out in face and

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Speaker 2: they come to find a blood meal to be able

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Speaker 2: to produce eggs. So they are breathing in the mangroves

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Speaker 2: and the little creeks, and they're emerging around the neap tide,

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Speaker 2: which means around the full moon. They're ready to leave

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Speaker 2: the mangroves and look for these blood mails. So their

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Speaker 2: highest numbers three days before and after the full moon

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Speaker 2: right now, but also again before and after every new

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Speaker 2: moon as well. So therefore we just want to let

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Speaker 2: people know that up to one point five kilometers from

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Speaker 2: any mangrove margin biding, each numbers will be potentially high.

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Speaker 2: They are only really biding or are active late in

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Speaker 2: the afternoon and early in the morning again, but if

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Speaker 2: you're close to mangroves, you can be bitten all day long.

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Speaker 1: Now, aside from mangroves, are there other case sort of

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Speaker 1: breeding sites.

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Speaker 2: There are actually breeding sites, and not that much as known.

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Speaker 2: We're exactly they're breathing, but along some foreshore areas where

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Speaker 2: there's also some mangroves, and those ones for reason are

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Speaker 2: coming out or emerging a few days earlier. So let's

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Speaker 2: say another two free days before the other ones come

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Speaker 2: out free days before the new moons. For six days

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Speaker 2: before the full and new moons. They can be out

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Speaker 2: on foreshore areas as well. So the good thing is

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Speaker 2: they're so tiny they actually can't bite through any material.

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Speaker 2: So if people cover up with long sleeved shirts and

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Speaker 2: pants and put socks on, they are protected. And then

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Speaker 2: just spray or protect any uncovered skin with the normal

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Speaker 2: insect repellents.

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Speaker 1: And I mean, are there like a people at risk

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Speaker 1: of disease or serious illness from midgies.

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Speaker 2: Not from the midgies. So while mosquitoes can transmit some diseases,

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Speaker 2: the midgies do not, but for newcomers, especially what people

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Speaker 2: are experiencing, because you usually don't feel them biting, so

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Speaker 2: all of a sudden, the next day you see you've

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Speaker 2: got all these red spots and then the itching starts,

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Speaker 2: and it seems to be a lot more intense compared

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Speaker 2: to mosquito bites, and they last a lot longer too,

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Speaker 2: So it's itchy for a long time, and people tend

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Speaker 2: to scratch and that can sort of lead to saws

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Speaker 2: and scars, but also to secondary bacterial infections.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, so definitely you do need to make sure you're

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Speaker 1: covering up and you've got to take care. I mean,

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Speaker 1: they are absolutely annoying as well, aren't they nan to.

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Speaker 2: They are, and if you sort of sitting outside but

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Speaker 2: you're close to any of those breeding sites, and you

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Speaker 2: can also use the mosquito lanterns. I also work for

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Speaker 2: the midgis or get some barrier sprays done by license

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Speaker 2: past controller, so there are things out and if you

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Speaker 2: get bitten, there are sort of soothing lotions which are

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Speaker 2: available from pharmacies. But also if you put eyes on

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Speaker 2: if it's itching, that tends to help as well to

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Speaker 2: reduce the itch and the urge to scratch.

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Speaker 1: Naya before there you go. You know when you look

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Speaker 1: at mossyborne diseases, So I guess just stepping away slightly,

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Speaker 1: do you know if we've had any recent cases or

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Speaker 1: how things are going on that front.

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Speaker 2: Mosquito numbers are very low still, but saying that, we

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Speaker 2: have the first really high tide for this year, so

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Speaker 2: this is the start of the Salt Marsh mosquito season,

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Speaker 2: so they might not be coming out in very high

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Speaker 2: numbers after this type, but potentially after the next high

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Speaker 2: tide so they can start the ros rivervirus season. So

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Speaker 2: again we are asking people to protect themselves from mosquito

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Speaker 2: bite from biding midgie's. Unfortunately, this is the time of

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Speaker 2: the year and on our website we do have past

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Speaker 2: Salt Marsh mosquito calendar as well as abiding midge calendar,

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Speaker 2: so that or those calendar shows you when the mozzies

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Speaker 2: or the Salt Marsh mosquitoes as well as abiding midgie's

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Speaker 2: are expected to be out in high numbers.

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Speaker 1: Well, Nina, it's always good to catch up with you.

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Speaker 1: I appreciate your knowledge and your insight. Thank you so

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Speaker 1: much for having a chat with me today.

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Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, thank you