Southport's water and drains
Loders Creek
City of Gold Coast says it flows through Ashmore, Southport and Labrador before reaching the Broadwater. Over a quarter of its upper catchment has been channelled into above ground or underground stormwater drains.
Rats follow water
The council also calls the brown rat the sewer rat. It lives at ground level, burrows and swims. The roof rat does the opposite, climbing into ceilings, trees and dense plants.
Midges by the Broadwater
Broadwater Parklands in Southport is on the council's list of places to see mangroves from a boardwalk. Midges breed in damp sand between the tide marks, and they're at their worst at dawn and dusk on calm, humid days.
Fire ants
A suspect mound on a nature strip or in your yard gets the same response: a report to Biosecurity Queensland inside 24 hours, as Queensland law requires. Our form can't take that report.
Rats first: what to look for
The council's list of signs is a good one: greasy smears or lines in the dust along walls and fences, gnaw marks, burrows, droppings, and noises in the roof at night. American cockroaches turn up in the same places, around sewers, grease traps and rubbish.
A pest business will usually look for how they're getting in, then seal gaps and set bait stations (locked boxes that hold rodent bait). Ask what's being used, and where. If a child swallows bait, call 13 11 26. If a pet does, go to the vet now.
Cut off the food and shelter
- Store food, pet food and rubbish in sealed containers.
- Clear clutter and overgrown plants from along the fence.
- Fix leaks and remove any water they can drink.
- Seal gaps and holes around pipes and vents.
Renting in Southport
In Queensland, the owner or manager has to keep a rental clear of pests when you move in and throughout the tenancy, unless your actions caused them. Nobody can tie you to one pest service or product, or charge you a set pest fee. If vermin turn up, tell the property manager as soon as possible.
Termites and inspections
Termite treatment follows the same Queensland rules here as across the Gold Coast: an inspection first, then a plan, with chemical work done under a QBCC licence class by someone who also holds a pest management licence. For a building and pest inspection in Southport, ask whether one inspector holds both licences or whether you'll need two.
Don't open up a mud lead to have a look. Several control options depend on termites still being active when the technician arrives.
What we'd do first in Southport
We'd find the way in before anything else, because bait without sealed gaps only buys time. Tidy the fence line, then tap what you've seen and your postcode, and we'll pass it to a local pest business.
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.
