1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,880 Speaker 1: Do we know that those mosquitos they seem like they 2 00:00:02,920 --> 00:00:04,920 Speaker 1: are out in absolute force. 3 00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:08,240 Speaker 2: At the moment I was fearing being. 4 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:11,240 Speaker 1: Taken away by those mossies along the esplanade this morning, 5 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:12,240 Speaker 1: flying around. 6 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:13,400 Speaker 2: There's so many of them. 7 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:15,920 Speaker 1: Now joining us on the line to tell us a 8 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:19,160 Speaker 1: little bit more about what is going on. It's into 9 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:23,360 Speaker 1: Health's Medical Entomology Operations Manager Stephen Frick. 10 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Stephen. 11 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:27,000 Speaker 3: Good morning, Katie. How are you going. 12 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:28,640 Speaker 2: I'm very well, Stephen. 13 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:33,480 Speaker 1: Those mossies they are out in huge numbers at the moment, 14 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:35,720 Speaker 1: it feels, yeah, they are. 15 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:40,160 Speaker 3: It tends to be up here in the church where 16 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:42,479 Speaker 3: you get quite a few mosquito species. There's over one 17 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 3: hundred of them, but there is one in particular at 18 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:48,240 Speaker 3: this time of year which does tend to increase in 19 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:52,000 Speaker 3: numbers following high tides. So we've had a high tide 20 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:55,800 Speaker 3: a little while ago that was quite big. It's about 21 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 3: eight meters, and then we had an earlier on a 22 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:00,920 Speaker 3: mat a month before that which was high. So this 23 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:04,280 Speaker 3: sort of sets up conditions for really big mosquito numbers, 24 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:07,160 Speaker 3: which we do which we do try and control, but 25 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 3: with such big tis back to back, it does create 26 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 3: a bit of a problem for the local environment no 27 00:01:12,959 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 3: matter what we do. 28 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:16,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, look, it may sound very naive of me, but 29 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:18,679 Speaker 1: I had no idea whether that was what the cause 30 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:20,720 Speaker 1: of it was, whether it was because we sort of 31 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:23,120 Speaker 1: got a little bit of rain but not a huge amount. 32 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:24,840 Speaker 2: I couldn't quite wrap my head around it. 33 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:28,120 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a bit of both. So I think what 34 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:32,480 Speaker 3: actually happened was before, not the recent high type, but 35 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:34,240 Speaker 3: the high tide before that. There was quite a bit 36 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 3: of rain just before it, which sort of dampened the 37 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:40,880 Speaker 3: floodplane a little bit. And then we had those fairly 38 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:42,959 Speaker 3: big tie come in, which is one of the larger 39 00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:47,280 Speaker 3: ones we've had in the last year or two. It 40 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:50,400 Speaker 3: ran in a bit further, which crowded the situation where 41 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 3: there was a lot of mosquitoes hatching, which we did control. 42 00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 3: We did get quite a few emerge, but we did 43 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 3: control a lot of that. And then the follow up 44 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 3: tie because the flood pain's been damped with dampened to 45 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:05,160 Speaker 3: be with the fresh water, but also the really big 46 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 3: high tide about a month prior to the recent one 47 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:13,480 Speaker 3: that set up conditions that right across the area surrounding Darwin, 48 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 3: and these floodplaines. There's been a lot of eggs deposited 49 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 3: at that real high water Lark watermark where the fish 50 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 3: can't get in. So when that floods in, the fish 51 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:26,680 Speaker 3: can't quite get in there to eat or the lava. 52 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:31,359 Speaker 3: And we get these big emergences of mosquitoes and we 53 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:35,000 Speaker 3: do we do control for them, but unfortunately this top 54 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:38,800 Speaker 3: of the mosquito can actually fly quite long distances, so 55 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:43,680 Speaker 3: that's also part of the problem. So when you get 56 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:47,840 Speaker 3: these really big tides that the whole of the intertitle 57 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:51,920 Speaker 3: zone across the north can be producing mosquitoes, And obviously 58 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:54,120 Speaker 3: they see the bright lights of Darwin and they think 59 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:55,080 Speaker 3: they want to go out for a bit of a 60 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:58,400 Speaker 3: party and you have a bit of a meal and 61 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:01,440 Speaker 3: you know, a bit of a talking of some locals, 62 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 3: and that's that's a bit. 63 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:04,639 Speaker 1: Of a problem. But I thought they're going to take 64 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:06,760 Speaker 1: me away along the Esplanad this morning. 65 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 2: There were so many of them down there. 66 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, we've certainly had big numbers and it's been right 67 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:14,800 Speaker 3: across and unfortunately it is it is like I said, 68 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:18,720 Speaker 3: you know, they'll come in from from all over and 69 00:03:18,919 --> 00:03:21,480 Speaker 3: the areas we traditionally control, which does tend to keep 70 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 3: keep it lit on things. They were controlled. But you know, 71 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:29,840 Speaker 3: the problem is the whole the whole of the north 72 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:33,880 Speaker 3: is covered, so you're getting getting these mosquitoes coming in 73 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 3: from everywhere. So it's it is difficult to control when 74 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:40,920 Speaker 3: you get these big events, and we just have to 75 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:44,920 Speaker 3: I suppose, resort to to probably looking at our culaners 76 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:49,240 Speaker 3: that we put out advising people that when the periods 77 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 3: of high mosquito abundance unlikely to occur following these tides, 78 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:56,280 Speaker 3: and that people maybe cover up and they just don't 79 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:58,640 Speaker 3: go out for that walk right in the middle of 80 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 3: the time when the mosquitoes are coming out, which will 81 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 3: be I suppose for next the next few days, next 82 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:04,040 Speaker 3: week or so. 83 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:06,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, so talk us through how long we are expecting 84 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:09,840 Speaker 1: these high numbers for yeah, Well. 85 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 3: Usually what happens is about a week after the high tide, 86 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:15,920 Speaker 3: the mosquitoes will will develop and emerge, and then we'll 87 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:21,400 Speaker 3: get some higher numbers for well, usually it's about this 88 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 3: time of year, about eleven days ten eleven days, and 89 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:27,479 Speaker 3: then they'll they'll they'll subside and then we'll get unfortunately 90 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:31,040 Speaker 3: another high tide around the middle of the month, around 91 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:36,000 Speaker 3: the twentieth I think before that, actually the seventeenth, and 92 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:38,600 Speaker 3: that about a week after that. Again, well we'll get 93 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:41,720 Speaker 3: an increase and then hopefully we'll get some rain that'll 94 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:46,000 Speaker 3: create a change the conditions on the floodplane where they'll 95 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,279 Speaker 3: be flooded and we won't get these these big cohorts 96 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:50,559 Speaker 3: and mosquitoes coming through. 97 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:52,160 Speaker 2: So that'll be good. 98 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:54,960 Speaker 1: Obviously, that will be a good thing when that happens. 99 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:57,520 Speaker 1: In the meantime, though, we do need to make sure 100 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 1: that we're covering up right. 101 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:04,159 Speaker 3: Yeah, I'd be advising people to probably wear someone that's 102 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 3: star one, I guess, and they're probably not going to 103 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:09,480 Speaker 3: do it. But if you can wear long sleeve clothes 104 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:11,080 Speaker 3: and long pants if you're going out to do some 105 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:15,640 Speaker 3: watering and things, loose fitting long sleeve and long pants 106 00:05:15,839 --> 00:05:18,760 Speaker 3: would be good. And also if you can't do that, 107 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:24,840 Speaker 3: probably I would suggest some your choice repellents, usually deet 108 00:05:25,279 --> 00:05:30,080 Speaker 3: and the oil of eucalypus products and the picara and products, 109 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:33,880 Speaker 3: so those sorts of products that are proven to repel 110 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:38,320 Speaker 3: mosquitoes and homeowners if they if they're experiencing big problems 111 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 3: around their home, they can also do a barrier spray. 112 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:42,400 Speaker 3: You can get these various brays from Bunnings or the 113 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:46,320 Speaker 3: hardware shop and that'll last usually about six weeks if 114 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:48,880 Speaker 3: it's out of the weather. So if there's a place 115 00:05:48,920 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 3: you like to sit outside, you can do that. And 116 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:56,679 Speaker 3: there's also those pulse repellent products that you can buy 117 00:05:56,839 --> 00:06:01,640 Speaker 3: that give a like a fermo cell. Yeah, that do 118 00:06:01,839 --> 00:06:03,560 Speaker 3: work quite quite well up here. 119 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:04,679 Speaker 2: Yeah. 120 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:08,320 Speaker 1: Look, Steve, and I'm getting lots of messages just going Katie, 121 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:10,919 Speaker 1: how much longer do we have to deal with these mozzies? 122 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:15,360 Speaker 3: Yeah? Well, sort of hoping about you know, they'll start 123 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:19,279 Speaker 3: to drop off, because they don't last forever, but hopefully 124 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:24,240 Speaker 3: they'll drop off about an another week or two and 125 00:06:24,279 --> 00:06:28,080 Speaker 3: then the numbers will decline. This is probably the worst 126 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:30,239 Speaker 3: that they are at the moment, and they should decline 127 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:34,240 Speaker 3: over the next next week or so. Hoping that we 128 00:06:34,279 --> 00:06:36,640 Speaker 3: don't get any rain and the forecast is looking good 129 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:40,640 Speaker 3: or we get either we don't get so I should 130 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:43,479 Speaker 3: say we don't get a small amount of rain thirty 131 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:45,400 Speaker 3: mils or we get a lot of rain on. 132 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:48,640 Speaker 2: The other Yes, good, good idea good plan. 133 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:51,680 Speaker 1: And although the weather never does what you wanted to do, 134 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:53,880 Speaker 1: but Steven, you know it's bad when the kids are 135 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:57,840 Speaker 1: coming home from school going oh mum, there's mosquitos everywhere 136 00:06:57,839 --> 00:07:00,240 Speaker 1: on the oval, and then it's soccer last night. Well, 137 00:07:00,279 --> 00:07:02,320 Speaker 1: I think some of the teams were you know that 138 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:05,599 Speaker 1: there was almost distracting from them actually playing. 139 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:09,960 Speaker 3: Oh, yes, certainly. And I think that one of the 140 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:11,880 Speaker 3: problems is it hasn't been like this for a while. 141 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:14,760 Speaker 3: But it's just the tides at the sum of year. 142 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:19,320 Speaker 3: You know, there's usually we can keep at what our 143 00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:22,640 Speaker 3: actions tend to keep the numbers down, but with such 144 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:30,120 Speaker 3: high tides, it's it is difficult to control over such 145 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 3: a wide range and such such big ties. Probably we 146 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:38,360 Speaker 3: do keep a handle, but you know, it's it is 147 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:43,040 Speaker 3: an unusual event, and that the with these mosquitoes, they 148 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:46,960 Speaker 3: tend to increase the sum of year and when we control, 149 00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:50,640 Speaker 3: I mean, I suppose the numbers are are suppressed, which 150 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 3: we have done, but they are so big that the 151 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:58,520 Speaker 3: compression people are probably not noticing the amount of suppression 152 00:07:58,520 --> 00:07:59,760 Speaker 3: work that we're done. 153 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:01,920 Speaker 1: So there's not so it's not even a matter where 154 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:03,920 Speaker 1: anything additional can be done at this point. 155 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:06,640 Speaker 3: Really, yeah, I mean we have, we have done additional stuff, 156 00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:08,320 Speaker 3: but it's one of those things, I mean, like when 157 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:10,760 Speaker 3: you've got There comes a point when there's there's just 158 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:12,720 Speaker 3: so many around there that we have to resort to. 159 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:17,960 Speaker 3: People needed to take care of themselves and cover up 160 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:20,200 Speaker 3: and use some repellent because. 161 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:23,920 Speaker 2: There's not a lot more you can do on those 162 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:24,560 Speaker 2: big numbers. 163 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:26,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, numbers are so big. 164 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:29,040 Speaker 1: Oh well, we all need to get out there and 165 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:31,520 Speaker 1: get our massy repellent to make sure that we've got 166 00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:36,560 Speaker 1: our got ourselves covered up. Any any favorites for you 167 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:39,559 Speaker 1: when it comes to the best MASSI repellent, Stephen. 168 00:08:40,040 --> 00:08:43,319 Speaker 3: I prefer avoidance myself because I don't already mind myself. 169 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:46,600 Speaker 3: This is my personal choice that the deep products don't 170 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:49,440 Speaker 3: don't react well to my skin, so I do tend 171 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:50,000 Speaker 3: to cover up. 172 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:51,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, fairly, Yeah. 173 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:54,319 Speaker 3: Because there is a there are a few. I don't 174 00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 3: want to scare people, but there are mosquito born diseases 175 00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:59,000 Speaker 3: that people can get up here. So it's probably best 176 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:04,280 Speaker 3: to avoid mosquito if you can. And the good thing 177 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:06,440 Speaker 3: to do. One good thing to do about that is 178 00:09:06,480 --> 00:09:08,720 Speaker 3: to probably look at our past calendars and then you 179 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:12,040 Speaker 3: can see to see where these peak abundances are, I 180 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:14,760 Speaker 3: shouldn't say peak, the higher abundances are, and you can 181 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:18,320 Speaker 3: avoid walking your dog right in the middle of that window, 182 00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:20,880 Speaker 3: and maybe choose to go a day or two later, 183 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:25,040 Speaker 3: or you know, kids sports sporting events have probably not 184 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:28,480 Speaker 3: something you can post. It is hard to avoid, but 185 00:09:28,559 --> 00:09:32,480 Speaker 3: maybe it might make them run faster. Looks great, so 186 00:09:32,559 --> 00:09:33,240 Speaker 3: I probably will. 187 00:09:34,679 --> 00:09:37,600 Speaker 1: No. Oh, Steven, I really appreciate you having your chat 188 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:39,439 Speaker 1: with us this morning. Just you know, I think it's 189 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:41,560 Speaker 1: important that people just sort of know what's going on 190 00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:45,280 Speaker 1: anyway and understand that it's going to be the case 191 00:09:45,320 --> 00:09:47,840 Speaker 1: for at least the next week or so. So we've 192 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:50,319 Speaker 1: got to make sure that we take those extra precautions. 193 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:52,040 Speaker 1: But like you touched on, I think that because we 194 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:55,080 Speaker 1: sort of haven't seen such high numbers for a while, 195 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:56,840 Speaker 1: it's more been the bit of a shock, and so 196 00:09:56,880 --> 00:09:59,160 Speaker 1: we're all going to then make sure that we're prepared, 197 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:02,520 Speaker 1: you know, for the different and sporting events over the 198 00:10:02,559 --> 00:10:05,360 Speaker 1: coming days and weeks, or the different outdoor activities that 199 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:05,640 Speaker 1: we do. 200 00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:10,079 Speaker 3: Yeah, certainly, certainly, And yeah, I think I mentioned before, 201 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:13,080 Speaker 3: these tides are quite high because we've had back to 202 00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:16,200 Speaker 3: back ones. It has set us up for a period 203 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:19,360 Speaker 3: where we are going to have mosquito abundances higher than 204 00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:21,760 Speaker 3: what people probably have experienced over the last few years. 205 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:25,480 Speaker 3: But it certainly is something that does happen from time 206 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:27,360 Speaker 3: to time and it is part of the natural environment 207 00:10:27,400 --> 00:10:29,240 Speaker 3: which we do up here, which is great and the 208 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:33,000 Speaker 3: taste everyone enjoys. But one of the downfalls is occasionally, 209 00:10:34,360 --> 00:10:36,720 Speaker 3: based on any sort of tide events or rain events, 210 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:41,160 Speaker 3: we do get abundances that sort of go out of 211 00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:43,280 Speaker 3: the average, and this just happens to be one of 212 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:46,840 Speaker 3: those times. Yeah, So just people should be I suppose, 213 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:49,600 Speaker 3: like you said, be aware when these things can happen. 214 00:10:49,640 --> 00:10:54,400 Speaker 3: And we do have calendars that do indicate this to people, but. 215 00:10:54,559 --> 00:10:57,400 Speaker 1: People just jump online and find those on the Department 216 00:10:57,400 --> 00:10:58,360 Speaker 1: of Health website. 217 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:00,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, they're on the Department of Health webs We have 218 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:03,480 Speaker 3: one for midges and we have one for the salt 219 00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:05,920 Speaker 3: Marsh mosquito, which is a top We can make these 220 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:11,559 Speaker 3: predictions in advanced by about a year because we know 221 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:17,560 Speaker 3: that there their abundances are based on usually on tides. 222 00:11:17,559 --> 00:11:19,440 Speaker 3: I mean they are affected by rain as well, but 223 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:24,560 Speaker 3: definitely these tied events can can definitely well do trigger hatching. 224 00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:27,360 Speaker 3: So we can make these predictions well and truly in advance. 225 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:28,840 Speaker 3: So if you've got an outdoor event that you're going 226 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:30,720 Speaker 3: to plan. You can probably look at that and consult 227 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:32,439 Speaker 3: that and go, well, maybe we'll do it next time. 228 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:35,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, good idea, good thinking well. 229 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:40,520 Speaker 1: NTI Health Medical Entomology Operations Manager Stephen Frigger really appreciate 230 00:11:40,559 --> 00:11:41,319 Speaker 1: your time this morning. 231 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:42,880 Speaker 2: Thanks for having a chat with us and letting us 232 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:43,720 Speaker 2: know what's going on. 233 00:11:44,280 --> 00:11:45,719 Speaker 3: Thanks Katie, I appreciate it chat. 234 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:46,520 Speaker 2: Thank you.