The Aussie mozzie curse

By Eugene Bingham

NAPIER - They were silent invaders but the brutal welts left no doubt that there had been an attack.

Mosquitoes from Australia have made their mark on the people of Napier.

As a helicopter roamed the saltwater marshes on the city's outskirts yesterday, delivering a knockout punch to the tiny invader, almost everyone in the city had a scar as evidence of a close encounter.

"You don't hear them at all," said Brian Kennedy, bearing more than 50 red bite marks on his legs and arms. "I didn't even know I'd been bitten until I started to itch."

Chris Clarke, who lives in the suburb of Westshore, the residential area near the most entrenched population of the saltwater marsh mosquitoes, said swarms had been attacking residents for weeks.

"They don't seem to come inside, but when you go outside, they're terrible.

"You slap them and your hand is covered in blood. Their bellies must be full of people's blood," said Mrs Clarke.

"I've been putting insect repellent and fly-spray on. I'll try anything - I'd give Agent Orange a go if I thought it was worth it."

Authorities yesterday claimed success in their spraying with Bti, a bacteria lethal to mosquitoes and sandflies but said to be harmless to people and animals.

A helicopter became an aerial spraycan, bombing about 400ha of marshlands that are now home to the insects, capable of carrying the debilitating Ross River virus.

Henry Dowler, the deputy chief technical officer for the eradication programme, said first results showed that the spraying campaign had hit the plague well.

"There are large numbers of dead larvae recorded both at the test sites and in the field," said Mr Dowler, of the Ministry of Health.

"People around Napier should also notice a decline in the biting population."

Testing will continue in the Napier region in areas where the mosquitoes are known to have settled. Health protection officers around the country are also taking samples from potential habitats to check for the spread of the bug.

"There could be another round of Bti applied in four to five days, depending on the weather," said Mr Dowler.

Few people have complained about the spray and some were a little annoyed that it took so long for the authorities to take to the sky.

"They [the authorities] seemed more worried about the aquatic life than humans and they wouldn't spray," said one woman.

Others were concerned about the impact of the publicity.

Some moteliers reported that tourists were cancelling bookings.

But the plague has been a boon for retailers of insect repellent and mosquito nets.

Peter Robertson, of Westshore Pharmacy, said there had been a run on sprays and lotions. Vitamin B products, which make the blood resistant to mosquitoes, were also popular.