Mosquito Management: Surat Township

Published on 18 March 2026

Council is implementing a mosquito management program in the Surat town area to reduce breeding following a moderate flood level status on the Balonne River.

The treatments will be carried out from Thursday, 26 March 2026 to Friday, 3 April 2026 between 5:00am to 9:00am along the Surat Riverwalk, Turkeys Gully and other low lying areas that contain water pools.

Our contractors will be using an environmentally friendly chemical that has been specifically approved for mosquito control.

Council recommends that anyone with respiratory problems or elderly to stay indoors while the treatments are being undertaken.

Community members can reduce the number of potential breeding sites around their home by:

Cleaning up around your house and yard following the receding flood waters
Removing any pools of water around your house and yard – this may involve clearing debris from ditches, cutting small channels to help pooling water drain, or filling in holes and vehicle wheel ruts
Cleaning up debris deposited on your property by flood waters. While a lot of this debris may be half-buried, if often contains enough water to breed large numbers of mosquitoes.
Rain or floodwater may have also collected in containers around your yard, so make sure you tip the water out of the containers and store them in a dry place or throw them away.

Common mosquito breeding sites include pot plant bases, tyres, tarpaulins and buckets.

Council recommends that members of the community use personal protection to reduce the risk of you and your family getting bitten by mosquitoes or black flies. There are several simple steps you can take to reduce your risk of being bitten:

Wear insect repellent whenever mosquitoes are present
Wear long, loose, light-coloured clothing
Use flying insect spray to kill any mosquitoes in rooms
Use mosquito coils
Use bed nets, if available
Repair ripped or damaged insect screens.

Council thanks residents for their patience during this time. Should you have any queries in respect of this matter locally, please call Council on 1300 007 662.