The Northern Territory Government proposes to convert Berrimah Farm on the southern outskirts of Darwin, NT into an urban residential subdivision. Areas of Berrimah Farm are located within 1.5km of tidal mangrove areas, and were expected to experience seasonal populations of pest biting midges. Seasonally flooded areas located within and adjacent to Berrimah Farm were also expected to be sources of pest and disease carrying mosquitoes. Due to the potential for significant populations of biting insects, the Department of Planning and Infrastructure (DPI) commissioned Medical Entomology (ME), of the Department of Health and Families (DHF) to conduct a biting insect assessment of the Berrimah Farm site.

Darwin Clean Fuels Pty Ltd plan to establish and operate a Condensate Processing Facility in Section 5720 and part Section 5633 at the Darwin Business Park at East Arm. The Condensate Processing Facility will produce a range of products, principally unleaded petrol, diesel and kerosene/jet fuel. It is anticipated that the condensate would be sourced principally from the Bayu Undan field in the Timor Sea and North West Shelf off Western Australia. Surface water ponding and mosquito breeding has been an issue in the East Arm area, primarily due to reclamation works conducted for the development of Darwin Business Park and the port facility. Water ponding and mosquito breeding has also been located in Section 5720 and part Section 5633 by the Medical Entomology Branch during previous surveys. The Darwin Business Park is also located adjacent to extensive mangrove areas of Bleesers Creek, Elizabeth River and Hudson Creek, which are expected to be large sources of pest biting midges. Due to the proposed development site and adjacent areas containing potential mosquito breeding sites, and the close proximity of mangrove areas, which are potentially large sources of pest biting midges, the Medical Entomology Branch (MEB) was commissioned by URS Australia Pty Ltd on behalf of Darwin Clean Fuels Pty Ltd to conduct a Biting Insect Assessment for the proposed facility.

A Hazchem Storage Facility is proposed at Section 4239, Hundred of Bagot. Section 4239, Hundred of Bagot is located at Hidden Valley adjacent to extensive mangrove areas of Bleesers Creek and Reichardt Creek in Frances Bay, Darwin Harbour. Section 4239 is proposed to be subdivided in future, with the proposed Hazchem Storage Facility to be built within a 4ha site in Section 4239. The areas adjacent to the proposed development area were also identified as being subject to seasonal pest problems from the salt marsh mosquito Ochlerotatus vigilax (Whelan et al 1994). Other mosquito species of potential significance in the proposed development area include Culex annulirostris and Coquillettidia xanthogaster (Whelan et al 1994). Ochlerotatus vigilax is a vector of Ross River virus (RRV) disease and Barmah Forest virus (BFV) disease, while Culex annulirostris is a vector of RRV, BFV, Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV) disease and Kunjin virus (KUNV) disease. The numbers of these species of mosquitoes in this area indicated there are seasonal risks for mosquito borne disease transmission in the development area. The Medical Entomology Branch (MEB) has been asked to identify any biting insect pest or potential human health problems in the development area, and provide advice on the magnitude of the problem. To do this MEB has referred to past biting insect investigations in the development area (Whelan et al 194), as well as examined the proposed plans for the potential of the development to create or exacerbate existing biting insect problems.

It is assumed that mosquito breeding areas within proposed residential development will be rectified as a matter of course, as the suburbs are developed. However, there are a number of mosquito breeding sites that are outside the suburban area that will require rectification as soon as possible, before considerable numbers of residents move into the area.

There are many examples of development in the Darwin region that have led to enormous populations of a range of mosquito species, severely effecting residents in nearby areas and requiring costly rectification. To aid planners in their design of the proposed Newton development, the Medical Entomology section of the department of Health and Families has made collections of biting midges and mosquitoes form march 1984 to April 1985 in and around the proposed development area between the Elizabeth and Blackmore Rivers, south-west of Palmerston. Additional surveys of biting midge breeding areas were made in late 1987. This report analyses the result and suggest methods of minimising the adverse effects of the biting insect present in the proposed development area, and outlines some construction guidelines to avoid exacerbating the problem.

Medical Entomology of the Department of Health and Families (DHF) was requested by the Department of Construction and Infrastructure (DCI) to investigate biting midge abundance in Lot 4243 Town of Palmerston, particularly the area of Lot 4243 between the BMX club and Elrundie Ave/Wishart Rd. Lot 4243 is within the vicinity of tidal mangrove creeks that are known sources of pest biting midges, as revealed by previous baseline investigations around the Durack subdivision (Whelan et al 1998, Shivas & Whelan 2001). The area of Lot 4243 is being considered for the siting of rugby ovals and grandstand facilities, and there is the potential that nearby tidal mangrove creeks could provide appreciable levels of pest biting midges to the subject site.

Biting midges are small blood sucking flies in the family Ceratopogonidae. They are commonly referred to as "sandflies" in northern Australia. The term "sand fly" is a misused term for a number of families of small biting flies. Culicoides ornatus is becoming an increasing problem across northern Australia due to urban development encroaching nearer to their major breeding places. They can impose serious restrictions on outdoor activities within flight range of their mangrove breeding sites due to the extremely annoying and painful bites, and to the discomforting after effects of the bites.

The upper tidal reaches of the various arms of Ludmilla Creek in Darwin have been historical breeding sites for pest and disease carrying mosquitoes. Most of the historical mosquito breeding in the Ludmilla Creek catchment was a direct result of urban development and associated stormwater discharge. The major mosquito breeding sites associated with Ludmilla Creek were targeted in 1984 under the combined Northern Territory Government and Darwin City Council mosquito engineering program. Mosquito breeding areas were identified by Medical Entomology (ME), with construction supervised by Darwin City Council (DCC). This included constructing drains in the Coconut Grove, Fannie Bay and East Point areas of Ludmilla Creek from suburban areas to the central section of the creek. The construction of the drains removed the dry season ponding and associated mosquito breeding, although the northern salt marsh mosquito Aedes vigilax does still breed in some tidally affected drains and the Kulaluk rice field during the late dry season/early wet season.

The Medical Entomology Annual Report 2008/09 is intended to present an overall picture of DHF mosquito surveillance and control activities carried out in the Northern Territory in 2008/09. In addition, specific figures and tables for regional towns that are not presented in this report, have been produced for Alyangula, Nhulunbuy, Jabiru, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs to provide local officers with the detailed information from local programs. These tables and figures are available on request.

The Medical Entomology Annual Report 2009-10 is intended to present an overall picture of DHF mosquito surveillance and control activities carried out in the Northern Territory in 2009/10.

The Medical Entomology Annual Report 2011/12 is intended to present an overall picture of DoH mosquito surveillance and control activities carried out in the Northern Territory in 2011/12.

Services provided by Medical Entomology (ME) aim to reduce the impact of biting insects on the people of the Northern Territory (NT). These include the prevention of the re-introduction of malaria, the prevention of the introduction of exotic mosquito vectors of dengue, insecticide and engineering programs for mosquito control, mosquito surveillance programs in the major towns, guidelines and advice on biting insects for both large and small scale developments, a public inquiry service, a public awareness program, and incidental research on biting insects and mosquito borne viruses.

In 1972 the Northern Territory Department of Health established a small Medical Entomology Branch to investigate and organise control of insects of medical importance in the Northern Territory, with an emphasis on the mosquito vectors of malaria. The Northern Territory was one of the first States or Territories to set up such a unit devoted solely to the above purpose and to have a full time medical entomologist with state wide responsibility. As a result of the 1974 Australian encephalitis outbreak, the need for research and control of mosquito borne diseases on an Australia-wide basis became apparent. The Commonwealth Department of Health established financial assistance to the States and Territories in late 1974, under the Australian Encephalitis Control Program. This early assistance contributed towards the equipment and operational needs of the Medical Entomology Section and aided the establishment of mosquito control programs in Alice Springs, Darwin, Nhulunbuy and Alyangula. The control programs in the various towns were carried out with assistance from the various local councils, corporations or mining companies, in co-operation with the local departmental health surveyors or with direct assistance from the Medical Entomology Section. The guidance of vector control operations by the various operational bodies was undertaken by the Medical Entomology Section. The process of gathering medical entomology data on a Territory wide basis was started, in order to establish vector control operations on a more scientific basis.

The Defence Housing Authority (DHA) in conjunction with GHD Pty Ltd proposes to develop the new residential suburb of Muirhead in Darwin, located north of the existing Northern Suburbs between Buffalo Creek and Lee Point Road. Muirhead is located on Lot 9737 Town of Nightcliff. Lot 9737 was previously used as a defence facility, and around one third of Lot 9737 has been cleared of trees and shrubs. The majority of lots were proposed to be urban residential, with some rural residential lots, and land set aside for commercial and education as well as open space. Based on the proximity of the development to known mosquito and potential biting midge breeding sites, there is likely to be a number of biting insect problems in various sections of the development area.

The Department of Planning and Infrastructure (DPI) recently released a parcel of land adjacent to Rosebery and Moulden to become the new urban residential suburb of Bellamack. Further land releases are proposed to create the new suburbs of Johnston, Zuccoli and Mitchell, as part of the Palmerston Eastern Suburbs. These proposed suburbs are potentially exposed to significant levels of pest biting midges. In particular, parts of Bellamack, Mitchell and Zuccoli are located in areas of potentially high biting midge abundance (Liehne 1985), because these suburbs are within 1.5km of tidal mangrove areas of Mitchell Creek, Brooking Creek and the Elizabeth River.

Alice Springs experienced high summer rainfall between January and March 2010, resulting in PWC discharging large volumes of effluent into the Ilparpa swamp A area. ME carried out an aerial mosquito larval control operation in Ilparpa swamp in March, and adult mosquito numbers remained relatively low as a result of this control operation. This control operation was assisted by the efficient drainage of rainwater and effluent out of the swamp via the Ilparpa OUD into St Mary’s Creek. However, the lack of drain maintenance is of great concern, as vegetation growth and silt deposits might hinder the efficient operation of the drainage system in the future. Thus, it is very important to resolve the issue of drain maintenance, and potentially enhance the drainage system to ensure efficient drainage of the swamp in the future to minimise the potential for arbovirus borne disease. Additional rain and effluent release in April did not lead to increased mosquito numbers. Culex annulirostris numbers decreased to very low numbers in Ilparpa swamp by 28th April 2010.