Mozzie menace

By Bridget Brady
MOZZIES are all the buzz in Tooradin.
Residents have been itching and scratching for the past six weeks as swarms of mosquitoes and midges lap up the warm and wet conditions.
The coastal village area has been known as a breeding ground for mosquitoes for many years, but former mayor Colin Butler said it was high time something was done to stop the scratch.
Mr Butler has called on Casey Council to consider spraying the town to make life a little more comfortable for locals. He said an environmentally friendly spray to combat mosquitoes had already been used in the Geelong area.
“The mozzies have gone mad,” Mr Butler said.
“They’re bad every year. Ours are giants of mozzies.”
Apart from the nuisance, Mr Butler said some serious health concerns such as the spread of disease was a major worry in the coastal towns.
“It wouldn’t’ take much for our mozzies to spread something.”
The mozzies have also proved to be an annoyance on the sporting arena, with Tooradin Football Club players irritated as they start pre-season training.
Club president Derek Genoni said the tiny midges were everywhere on the field and were more of a pain than the mosquitoes at training.
“We’re going through a fair bit of Aerogard I can tell you,” Mr Genoni said.
He said the midges and mosquitoes had not restricted the players as such, but added that it would be a worry if a player had an allergic reaction.
“Potentially, they (players) could just say I can’t put up with this. It hasn’t happened to this point, but it really is a concern.”
A solution may be around the corner, with the council due to release a report in December about the possibility of a mosquito management program for the coastal areas.
Casey’s manager of community safety, Caroline Bell, said the council had already undertaken a community education program for residents to minimise the nuisance and harm of mosquitoes.
“The information includes tips on protection from being bitten, minimising the number of mosquitoes breeding around the home and in rainwater tanks and reducing the number of mosquitoes entering the home,” Ms Bell said.