A wasp nest near the house
Keep people and pets away, and never try to treat it yourself. The council says a nest can hold many thousands of wasps that fiercely protect it, and unlike bees they can sting repeatedly. If anyone stung has noisy breathing, a swollen tongue or throat, wheezing, dizziness or collapse, call 000.
What's different in Queanbeyan
Wasps you won't see coming
Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council says nests are always hidden: in the soil, or in rockeries, wall or roof cavities and tree stumps. Don't leave drink cans open outside, because a wasp can get in and sting the mouth or throat.
Public land or private
Report a nest on public property to the council. One on private property goes to a pest controller.
Urban blocks count too
The council says every landholder, from urban blocks to large farms, is responsible for controlling pest animals. Local Land Services advises on foxes, rabbits and mynas.
Grassland on the edge of town
Queanbeyan Nature Reserve protects 68 hectares of open grassland and woodland, between Lanyon Drive and Hoover Road.
Queanbeyan or Canberra: what changes
| Queanbeyan (NSW) | Canberra (ACT) | |
|---|---|---|
| Local government | Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council | No councils; the ACT Government |
| Pest licence | Held by the technician, from the NSW EPA, with a photo card | Environmental Authorisation from the ACT EPA, with a public register |
| Selling a home | A seller's report may help, but NSW advice is to get your own | Seller must make a pest report available for an occupied home, with some exceptions |
| Possums | Licence needed; release at dusk within 150 metres | Licence needed; the ACT Government lists holders |
| Suspected fire ants | Biosecurity Helpline | ACT Biosecurity |
Building and pest inspection in Queanbeyan
Don't assume a Canberra style seller's report comes with the house. Ask, and get your own timber pest inspection anyway. NSW Government advice is that a building report won't show whether termites are still around, and that a seller's report doesn't replace an independent one. Our pre-purchase page explains what to look for.
If it were our yard in Queanbeyan
We'd walk the yard on a warm afternoon and watch for wasps heading into one spot, in the ground or at a gap in a wall. Stand well back. If you find a nest, or anything else you can't place, tell us your postcode and what you've seen.
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.
