Council has stepped up its fight against mosquitoes, adding two quad bikes to its arsenal of mozzie-fighting equipment.
Council has a team managing mosquitoes all year round and, on average spends more than $700,000 a year keeping the biting critters down.
Activity is stepped up in the main breeding season during the wetter summer months.
The management program aims to keep mossie numbers down before summer so the population can be controlled over the hot wet season.
Along with the bikes, council uses a boat and a special Argo vehicle, which can access muddy terrain.
It also has access to a helicopter for aerial treatments on about 800 hectares of land on the bay islands as part of a local government plan.
Mosquito larvae hatches days after it gets wet, allowing officers a very small window of opportunity to during a king tide or rain to treat the breeding sites.
Officers also sample mossies during the year to identify breeding sites and ensure the program is effective.
Council’s environmental health spokesperson Cr Lance Hewlett said the program concentrated on mosquito breeds that posed health risks.
“We can only control mosquitoes on land we can access so we also need residents to play their role by managing mosquitoes on their properties," Cr Hewlett said.
Residents should get rid of any stagnant pools of water in yards including bird baths and gutters.