DEAR Jasminda,
Now that the flood waters are starting to subside, I have a new problem – swarms of blood-sucking mosquitoes.

What earthly purpose do they serve and what can I do to avoid the bites and potentially Ross River Fever?

Mrs Tina W.

Dear Tina,

It is quite hard to love the humble mosquito, particularly at 2am in the morning when a lone mosquito buzzes in your ear, but you are too tired to do anything but slap your face and swear.

Apparently, they are the deadliest insect on earth, which is quite an achievement, able to wipe out their two-legged foes with everything from malaria to dengue fever as well as knock you for six with Ross River Fever.

On top of that they can give your poor little pooch heart worm which is a devastating disease.

And you are right, they are currently swarming around in huge numbers and breeding up in stagnant pools of water.

I’ve swapped my Issey Miyake fragrance for eau de DEET lately in an effort to repel the blood-sucking blighters away.

Despite all of this, they do have some benefits — the larvae are important in the food chain, providing meals for fish, birds and spiders.

It is also only the females that feed off your blood and they do this to get the right nutrients for their babies, which is kind of sweet for Twilight fans.

So, on balance, there is an earthly purpose to mosquitoes, but that doesn’t make any of us feel much better when we are covered in red, itchy welts.

Keep the doors closed and stay out of the garden at dusk as they are ferocious at that time.

Carpe diem,
Jasminda.