Mozzie madness: Experts say there are more mosquitos than ever thanks to La Niña

By Niki Waldegrave

Experts say the east coast has seen plagues of mosquitos, due to all the crazy humid, hot, wet and windy weather conditions caused by La Niña.

David Bock, who is an insect specialist at the Australian Museum, says this year’s weather conditions have made it the perfect breeding ground for the insects with populations on the rise.

“Mosquitos are one of those insects that can breed really quickly and they love this moist warm wet weather,” he says. “The humid conditions are perfect for breeding and when stagnant water stays around long enough, they mate and lay their eggs on it,” says David.

“They might be in puddles, backyards and buckets and it only takes a few weeks for that whole life cycle to happen. The nymphs – or wrigglers – spend about a week in the water before being able to fly off.”

While there are many different species of mosquitoes, David says there are only a couple where the females suck blood, which helps provide the protein needed for egg development.

Families along the East Coast are seeing swarms ‘like you’d see in a tropical rainforest’.

One desperate Sydney mum Sarah Mintz Schneider and her one-year-old daughter, Laura, were so badly attacked in Dover Heights in early February, the tot was covered with more than 30 bites across her face, arms and hands causing her to scratch her skin to the point it was bleeding.

“It was horrific,” says Sarah. “They were all over her face, arms, fingers, wrists and down both sides of her arms.

“I’ve never seen that many – there were so many I couldn’t count them, and she had a terrible reaction to them. The bites came up really red and angry, and kept swelling up for hours.

“She was really distressed and kept scratching at her skin until it bled.”

Sarah, who says there were so many mosquitos at her mum’s place “which is like a rainforest”, they were even swarming into the car when the door was opened.

The speech pathologist says the only thing that has helped little Laura’s bites is a natural moisturiser from Australian natural skin care brand MooGoo.

“Laura also gets eczema, so we used the MooGoo Eczema and Psoriasis Cream on her, and it instantly calmed her skin,” she says.

“It immediately alleviated the redness and helped the bites dissipate. I prefer using natural brands like MooGoo on her skin as she is so sensitive, although when she gets eczema flares we sometimes have to use hydrocortisone too. ”

Sarah is also now using MooGoo’s natural insect repellent, Tail Swat, on Laura.

Melody Livingstone, CEO of MooGoo, says its business has been “inundated” over the past few weeks with people snapping up the repellent and its moisturisers.

“The mozzies are out in force this year,” says Melody. “We’ve been inundated with people asking what can help soothe their mosquito bites.

“Parents, in particular, are buying it for their children as it’s all natural, and can be sprayed as liberally as needed, including over the face. It is also great for small children that are sleeping in an area where they may be bitten.

“The recent heat and humidity we have been seeing is also causing people’s skin to sweat and that dries skin out further, causing it to get quite itchy and irritated,” says Melody.

“Most dermatologists say that humidity levels between 30 to 50 per cent are most ideal for eczema-prone people, but it’s been extremely high this summer, and we’ve had so many people contacting us asking what they can do to soothe their skin, reduce redness and alleviate the itch.”

Over the last three months Eczema Creams sales up 23 percent year on year (YoY), and Tail Swat sales are up 14 percent YoY.

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