Will the council remove a wasp nest from my backyard?

No. The City of Greater Geelong says owners and occupiers must remove pests from their own property, and it only handles nests on land it manages. For a nest in your yard, a pest business is the usual call.

Who do I call about a possum in Geelong?

The council points possum questions to DEECA, and injured, sick or orphaned wildlife to Wildlife Victoria. For a possum living in your roof, a pest business can proof the entry points; our possums page explains the rules.

Does a pest business help with mosquitoes?

It can treat around a yard, but most of the difference comes from emptying the standing water mosquitoes breed in. For health questions, including Ross River virus and Buruli ulcer, go to the Better Health Channel or your GP.

Pest control Geelong: your yard, the river and the bay

What's different around Geelong

Private land is the owner's job

The City of Greater Geelong doesn't remove pests from private land; owners and occupiers do. It deals with pest problems on land it manages, and puts wasp and bee nests in parks, footpaths and other public open spaces first.

The Barwon River tracks

The council says bee and wasp nests turn up often along the Barwon River walking tracks. North of Queens Park Bridge they're the council's to deal with; south of it, the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority's.

A long mosquito season

Geelong's mosquito program runs from August to April, with little monitoring or treatment over winter, and the council names Ross River virus as the most common mosquito-borne disease in Victoria.

Buruli ulcer is a health question

The Better Health Channel lists Belmont, Highton, Newtown, Wandana Heights, Grovedale, Marshall and the Bellarine Peninsula among places where Buruli ulcer is being identified, and says its list may not be complete. It notes growing evidence that mosquitoes and possums play a part, though nobody yet knows exactly how people catch it. Ask your GP and read the health advice; we'd never suggest a pest treatment protects you from it.

The jobs Geelong asks about

Termites come first: an inspection on a house you live in, or a timber pest inspection before you buy. Our Geelong termite page covers the signs and what to ask.

Then the roof space. Thumping overhead at night is usually a possum, and possums are protected wildlife in Victoria, so the answer is proofing, not a trap. Our possums in Geelong page walks through it. Scratching that starts when the weather cools is more often mice: CSIRO says cooler weather sends them looking for shelter indoors.

Bees moving in and out of a gap in the wall, and wasps around the yard, round out the list. A swarm hanging on a branch is a different story; our Geelong bees page explains who to call for each.

Wasps: look down before you look up

Victoria's Department of Health says about 80% of European wasp nests are underground, and most of the others are tucked inside buildings. If wasps keep landing near the back step, watch from a distance for one spot in the lawn or a gap in the wall they keep flying into.

A nest on your property is yours to have treated. Keep children and pets away from it, and if anyone stung has trouble breathing or a swelling face or throat, call 000.

Small things that help on a Geelong block

Pick up fallen fruit: the council calls it a major food source for bees, wasps, mice and rats.
Tip out water sitting in pot bases, buckets and blocked gutters between August and April.
Keep firewood and timber offcuts off the ground and away from the walls.
Found a beehive in a park or reserve? The council asks you to call it between 8am and 5pm.

Where we'd start with pests in Geelong

If you've just moved in, or it's been a few years, we'd get a termite inspection on the calendar before anything else shows up. Then deal with whatever you can see or hear: tap it and add your postcode.

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?