Government funds secured for mosquito eradication

Government funding has been secured for a $10 million programme which aims to eradicate the southern saltmarsh mosquito from Marlborough.

The money will be spent over the next four years developing and implementing a plan to eradicate the exotic mosquito - a known vector of the Ross River virus - from the Wairau and Lake Grassmere areas.

The southern saltmarsh mosquito was discovered in Marlborough at the beginning of May this year, and a team of five staff from New Zealand BioSecure, the Napier-based company running the eradication programme, were posted in Blenheim to begin the first phase of eradication. This involved applying larvacides, gathering samples, and conducting site searches to gage the extent of the incursion.

Locality manager Steve Crarer said today he was pleased the company had secured funding, as now, staff could now move into the second phase of eradication.

"The only real difference is we'll be using a different product as our primary treating agent," he said.

"We're applying the liquid larvacide Bti at the moment and a small amount of the granule larvacide S-methoprene.

"Now that we have funding, we'll be able to use solely the S-methoprene, which is a more expensive product, but very effective."

S-methoprene is an insect growth regulator that stops the mosquito pupae hatching into adults.

Mr Crarer said more staff would be needed to carry out the eradication programme, but at this stage, the exact number was uncertain.

"There's a huge task ahead of us now - as well as maintaining what we're doing, we have to re-create a programme expected to last for four years," he said.

Mr Crarer said that at this stage it appeared that the infestation was contained within the 500-900 hectares around the Wairau Estuary, Station Creek, Blind River and Grassmere, but more extensive searching under the new programme could uncover small new sites within that area.

The southern saltmarsh mosquito had been successfully eradicated from the North Island's east coast, and the Kaipara eradication programme was close to completion, leaving Marlborough as the only remaining host of the mosquito in New Zealand.

Associate Biosecurity Minister Marion Hobbs said the exotic mosquito was a real nuisance, and was particularly vicious and aggressive, biting during the day.

"We have yet to have a case of New Zealand-acquired, mosquito-borne disease in this country and this eradication programme will help to keep it that way," she said.

- NZPA