Rainwater tanks could see mozzies return | Emerald Health | Fitness and Medical News in Emerald

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THE return of rainwater tanks in Australia's back yards could bring the mosquito that carries dengue fever back to areas as far south as Sydney.

After arriving in Australia on ships carrying infected water barrels in the late 19th century, the mozzie spread from Queensland to Sydney and west to Perth.

But by the late 1960s it had been restricted to the northern half of Queensland thanks in part to the removal of old galvanised rainwater tanks, the installation of piped water, insecticides and new power lawnmowers that helped keep yards tidy.

But now, thanks to climate change, the backyard rainwater tank is making a resurgence - and a new study warns the dengue mozzie could hitch a ride.

Lead author, Dr Michael Kearney of the University of Melbourne, says rainwater tanks and smaller storage tubs like modified wheelie bins are potential breeding sites for the Aedes aegypti mosquito which carries the disease.

"The potential direct impact of climate change on its distribution and abundance is minor when compared to the potential effect of changed water-storage behaviour," said Dr Kearney.

"In many Australian cities and towns, a major impact of climate change is reduced rainfall, resulting in a dramatic increase in domestic rainwater storage and other forms of water hoarding," he said.

"Without due caution with water storage hygiene, this indirect effect of climate change via human adaptation could dramatically re-expand the mosquito's current range."

The study is published in the new issue of the British Ecological Society's journal Functional Ecology.