What an ACT pest operator needs
Commercial use of agvet chemical products in the ACT needs an Environmental Authorisation issued by the ACT EPA, and Access Canberra says commercial pest and weed control operations need one.
Termite work comes down to training. The ACT EPA requires specific training to use termiticides (the chemicals used against termites) and liquid fumigants, and general training to use solid fumigants. Using certain agvet chemical products without the appropriate training is an offence.
Checking an operator in Canberra
- Look the operator up on Access Canberra's public register of pest and weed control operators.
- For a termite job, ask what training they hold to use termiticides.
- For fumigation, ask about their fumigant training.
- Ask for the full product name before the job, and keep it with your paperwork.
Selling or buying a home in the ACT
If the home has been lived in, an ACT seller must make a pest inspection report available to prospective buyers, from an inspection done no earlier than 3 months before the property was first advertised, offered for sale or listed by an agent. A building and compliance inspection report is required under the same 3 month rule. Class A units don't need the pest report.
The seller's report is a starting point, and the building report is a different profession's work. Our pre-purchase inspections page explains what a timber pest inspection covers.
Possums are protected
Possums are protected in the ACT under the Nature Conservation Act 2014, and it's illegal for an unauthorised person to trap or harm one. Doing so without a licence brings severe penalties.
The ACT Government keeps a list of licensed possum businesses with their licence numbers and expiry dates, and marks the ones that have expired. If a business claims an ACT possum licence but isn't on the list, it asks you to confirm before engaging them.
Wasps, swarms and mynas in Canberra
European wasps in Canberra are bright yellow and black with bright yellow legs. Their nests are usually in the ground, though some are built in wall cavities and roof spaces. The ACT Government doesn't treat nests on private land and says a qualified pest control operator should deal with them.
Bees generally swarm between August and December, and for a swarm on private property the ACT Government says to call a swarm collector. Since June 2021 the Indian myna has been a prohibited pest animal in the ACT, and ACT law bans keeping, breeding, selling or releasing one.
Renting in the ACT
Legal Aid ACT says tenants must keep the rental clean and not cause an infestation through neglect, while landlords must keep the place in reasonable repair so it doesn't cause one. A tenant whose negligence caused an infestation, such as rubbish attracting mice, may be liable for the treatment and any repairs. Tell the landlord or agent in writing as soon as you can.
Where we'd begin in Canberra
We'd find the operator on the Access Canberra register before anything else, then ask about termiticide training if it's a termite job. For a possum, we'd check the ACT Government's licence list before anyone sets a trap.
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.
