Mosquito Monitoring
Mosquito monitoring is undertaken by local experts who volunteer their time to improve the quality of life for our community. You can help with this monitoring by reporting bites. The more information we receive, the more we can create an accurate picture which in turn helps with targeting dredging works to minimise the mosquito menace. You can report bites here using our online form, alternatively you can also report bites via the Neston Life Android App and Neston Life Apple App.
Mosquito Control
Whilst it is not possible to eradicate mosquitoes, Neston Town Council is committed to controlling the numbers in an environmentally responsible way.
The Town Council works with partners to implement a co-ordinated plan for mosquito control based on the concept of Open Marsh Water Management. Pool creation and ditching works, all of which are approved in advance by Natural England, are carried out as part of an ongoing and targeted programme, the effects of which are monitored and in turn inform future management.
Mosquito Forecast
One unique outcome of the regular monitoring is that our professional volunteers kindly provide a weekly mosquito forecast from April to October for the benefit of local residents.
The forecast is based on a traffic light alert system and can be found on this website and also as “Mozzie Watch” on the Neston Life app.
The current forecast is GREEN
The combined effects of the wind and sun have more than counteracted any rain and the breeding pools on the marshes are almost all completely dry. Very few mosquitoes have been caught in our traps and these have been of a species which do not generally breed on the marshes, but may in garden ponds and other large collections of freshwater.
Overall we expect the mosquito biting nuisance in the coming week to be low.
You may notice mosquito larvae appearing in any water collections in buckets, watering cans etc in your garden. These will almost certainly be a species called Culex pipiens, which almost exclusively bite birds rather than humans.
Keys to traffic lights forecast
Red:
Serious risk. Many Neston residents are likely to be bitten, especially but not only in the evenings. Precautionary methods as outlined in the FAQs should be used when gardening or enjoying barbecues.
Amber:
Medium risk. Some Neston residents may be bitten, especially on still warm evenings.
Green:
Low risk. Neston residents are unlikely to be bitten.
Feedback on Mosquitoes and the Mosquito Monitoring Programme.
Send us feedback on our monitoring reports by using our online form available here.
Further Reading.
A copy of the study by Michael Clarkson, Phil Jones and Sandra Hughes‐Crean entitled “Domestic mosquitoes in the Neston area of Cheshire, UK”. This single page PDF summarises the detail and conclusion of a long term study into the mosquitoes on the Dee estuary marshlands around Neston and the immediate surrounding towns and villages. This document is downloadable here.