Do you take electric ant or Asian honey bee jobs in Cairns?

No. Both are reported to Biosecurity Queensland, within 24 hours of finding them, so we don't pass them to a pest business. A clear photo taken from a safe distance helps the report.

Is end of lease pest control compulsory in Cairns?

Only when your lease or pet agreement says so. Queensland tenants who agreed to reasonable pest control conditions as part of a pet approval should follow them. Our end of lease rules guide goes through the detail.

Who handles a bee swarm in Cairns?

A European honey bee swarm is usually collected by a local beekeeper, and Business Queensland suggests the local beekeeping club for advice. If the bees look small with strong stripes, report them as possible Asian honey bees instead. Our bees page explains the difference.

Pest control Cairns: termites, ants and what to report

Tiny golden ants or small striped bees? Report them first

Electric ants are about 1.5 mm long and golden brown, and their stings can leave painful, itchy pimples that hang around. Suspected electric ants and suspected Asian honey bees must both be reported to Biosecurity Queensland within 24 hours. Keep children and pets clear of the spot, and call 000 if anyone who's been stung has noisy breathing, a swollen tongue or throat, or collapses.

What's different in Cairns

Termites are at their most aggressive up here

The QBCC says termites are a problem right across Queensland but particularly aggressive in North Queensland. Business Queensland adds that the giant northern termite, the most destructive subterranean species, lives in the tropical north, and that two drywood termites occur around Cairns and further north.

Electric ants have their own zone

Electric ants were first detected in Cairns in 2006. Their biosecurity zone covers six councils: Cairns Regional, Cassowary Coast Regional, Douglas Shire, Mareeba Shire, Tablelands Regional and Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire. They nest under stones, blocks, sleepers and logs, and their stings can blind pets.

Yellow crazy ants

Yellow crazy ants were first discovered in Cairns in 2001, with infestations recorded in Edmonton and Bentley Park. They're restricted under Queensland biosecurity law, so they're a report, not a spray job.

Asian honey bees

Smaller and less hairy than European honey bees, with sharp black or brown and yellow stripes. Business Queensland says they're established from Cape Tribulation to Cardwell, and an extension to Rossville and Cooktown was confirmed in September 2025.

A wet season, December to March

Far North Queensland is hot and humid with a distinct wet from December to March. North Queensland towns that have the dengue mosquito are prone to outbreaks, so the Queensland Government suggests a weekly look for water sitting in containers, junk and blocked gutters.

Report it, or call a pest business?

	Report to Biosecurity Queensland	A normal pest job
Ants	Electric ants and yellow crazy ants	House ants trailing to the kitchen or nesting in a wall
Bees	Asian honey bees, swarm or nest	A honey bee colony inside a wall or roof, once you know it isn't Asian
Mounds in the lawn	Suspected fire ants	Ordinary ant nests you've already ruled out

The jobs Cairns asks about most

Termite inspections and treatment come first, then timber pest inspections for buyers, then cockroaches, ants, rats and the odd bee problem. Most ant calls are the ordinary kind a pest business handles; it's only the restricted species above that go to the report line.

With bees, Business Queensland says a European honey bee swarm should go to a local beekeeper, and that European and native bees shouldn't be destroyed. A colony living inside a wall or roof is harder to leave alone, so confirm which bee it is first, then ask a pest business or a beekeeper what getting it out involves.

End of lease pest control comes up too. In Queensland it's needed only if your lease or pet agreement requires it, and an owner or property manager can't make you use a particular pest service or product, or pay them a set fee for it.

Our take on pests in Cairns

If you're new to Cairns, learn what an electric ant looks like, then get a termite inspection booked before the wet. For anything you can't name, tap Not sure what it is with your postcode and a photo if you have one.

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.

What have you seen?