Horsham Rural City Council senior environmental health officer Luke Mitton said there had been a noticeable decrease in mosquito numbers in the region.

“There is less water lying around now because there has been less rain,” he said.

“So insect breeding spots have been removed and they generally don’t live for very long.”

Mr Mitton said residents should still be alert and protect themselves from mosquitoes. 

“They’re not just annoying – some mozzies can transmit serious diseases,” he said.

“There are easy things people can do to avoid attracting mosquitoes, such as tipping out any pots outside that have been collecting water.”

Mr Mitton said people should also wear loose-fitting clothing when outdoors and use mosquito repellents containing DEET or picaridin. 

Yarriambiack Shire community services and development manager Gavin Blinman said council was still informing residents about the risks of mosquitoes.

“We’ve had a number of brochures going out to let people know how to reduce the chances of being bitten,” he said.

In a report to council, Mr Blinman said mosquito numbers remained an issue in the municipality.

“It is anticipated that numbers will decrease soon due to many breeding areas disappearing as a result of the warmer weather,” he said.

“The life cycle of these insects might result in numbers decreasing more substantially this month.

“However, numbers are likely to remain for a significant period of summer and council advises that preventing bites is the most appropriate course of action.”

Mr Blinman said there was a few cycles to consider with mosquito numbers.

“The mozzies come out of the grass in spring and then in December they start coming out of the water,” he said.

“We are looking into money for spraying in public places and we are also looking at getting some more information out to people.”