What sets the Redlands apart
Aerial rounds over the saltmarsh
Redland City Council treats mosquito larvae from the air along the bayside, the Southern Moreton Bay Islands and North Stradbroke Island, aiming at the saltmarsh mosquito. Its rounds on 23 and 27 October 2026 took in Thornlands, Wellington Point, Victoria Point, Redland Bay and Birkdale.
November to April
The council calls these months the peak breeding season, and adds surveys and treatments after tides flood the marsh or heavy rain falls. Mosquitoes here can carry Ross River and Barmah Forest viruses, so cover up at dawn and dusk.
Cleveland isn't Redland Bay
Cleveland is highly urbanised, with Ross Creek, Black Swamp Wetlands and the Raby Bay canals. Southern Redland Bay is a narrow coastal strip, mainly rural, with Orchard Beach Wetlands and Weinam Creek. A canal house and a farm shed have different pest lists, so tell us which you've got.
Rats are a legal duty
If you own or occupy a property in Redland City, the Public Health Act 2005 requires you to manage rats and mice there, the council says. Native ones don't need controlling; introduced species do, straight away.
Thumping in a Redlands roof
If you heard thumping above the ceiling at 2am, it's likely a brushtail possum. Redland City Council says possums are protected, and it's illegal to trap or move one unless you have a permit.
Someone with the right licence can catch and release a brushtail, but the release has to be within 25 metres. So the real work is a nest box nearby, then closing the way in once every possum has gone out for the night. Our guide to possums and the law walks through it.
Fire ants on the coast
Since 1 July 2024, Redland City Council has inspected and treated fire ants only on land it owns or manages. On your own block, a suspected nest means a report to the National Fire Ant Eradication Program, within 24 hours. Keep clear of it, and treat it as a report, not a pest job.
Around a bayside house
- Tip the rain out of boats, tarps and bird baths, all on the council's list of breeding spots.
- Rake up fallen palm fronds, which catch more water than you'd think.
- Keep fly screens and rainwater tank screens in good repair.
- Store building materials up off the ground, so rats can't settle under them.
What we'd do on the Redlands Coast
Sort the water in your own yard before November, because the marsh is the council's and the yard is yours. Then deal with whatever's moved into the house, whether that's a possum, rats or a termite check that's overdue.
Want someone to look at it?
Tell us what you've seen and your postcode, and a local pest business that handles exactly that calls you to talk it through.
