What To Do About The Pests In My Home?

Melbourne is the capital city of Victoria and plays host to a large number of pests. The best and most efficient way to deal with pests in Melbourne, is to seek professional advice from a pest control service in your local area, or contact the local community service for free information. For now, let’s focus on the ones that might be living rent-free in your household. Common issues include wasps, cockroaches, birds, bed bugs and surprisingly, the native possum.

Pest control For Possums

Possums may seem cute and cuddly but sadly they can be a nuisance if they take up residence in your rafters. These furry little angels have been known to cause a racket of noise, damage buildings by constructing nests and cultivate environments that encourage other unwelcome creatures to move in. Possums are protected under the Wildlife Act 1975, meaning it is illegal to harm them. Relocation is also prohibited – problem possums must be released 50m from the trap site or destroyed humanely by a registered vet. Female possums typically build nests to raise their young and can become ferocious when protecting their homes. Therefore it is best not to approach or try to remove them by yourself. There are numerous humane methods of removing possums from your building, simply consult your local pest control expert.

Wasps

You will want to watch out for the bright yellow patterned European wasp, that was found to exist in the mainland of Australia in 1977, notably around the Melbourne region. These wasps have been known to hibernate through the Australian winter, as the temperate climate is more accommodating than their native freezing winters in Europe. As you can see, this can quickly see population growth extend out of control.

Cockroach Pest Control

Cockroaches are infamous for sneaking into houses and breeding, due to the abundance of food and comfortable, dry conditions. Most varieties of roach have flat bodies enabling them to creep into hard-to-reach places, especially in your kitchen where crumbs and dust get collected. Since cockroaches are able to survive a nuclear blast, it is important to deal with the problem at the first sight of any sneaking around your house.

Birds As Pests

Birds can be considered pests from leaving droppings on property and vehicles, clogging drains and downpipes, contaminating food and the potential to spread disease. Some foreign species take up scavenging from bins, displacing native species and damaging the environment. The English Starling is one such example, behaviourally it congregates in large flocks leading to the destruction of drain pipes and buildings due to the species’ acidic droppings.

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are a nocturnal creature, primarily feeding on their host at night. The most common way they spread is in clothing, picked up from bedsheets in motels, hotels or backpacker hostels. An infestation of these bugs can be disgusting in the least and are absolutely a health hazard. Signs that you may have bed bugs include blood spotting on sheets and tiny raised welts on the skin. Be aware of your surroundings and many-legged neighbours, because with a bit of care and consideration we can all coexist peacefully. Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite!