Stings and snakes
Keep clear of any nest. If someone who's been stung has trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat, call 000. If you see a snake, the shire says never to try to kill it, because that's how nearly all snake bites occur. For any snake bite, call 000.
Gisborne, in the Macedon Ranges
The town
Macedon Ranges Shire says Gisborne is 54 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, in a large valley at the foot of the Jacksons Creek escarpment, flanked by Mount Gisborne to the south and the Macedon Ranges to the north. Pathways follow Jacksons Creek.
Snakes
The shire says snakes near your home are usually just passing through, and that it can't help with removal, so you'd contact a licensed snake handler. It suggests moving piles of wood away from the house and keeping lawns and gardens maintained.
Rats
The shire calls rats a common pest in homes and the natural environment, so droppings in the shed or noise in the roof are worth taking seriously.
Termite information
A shire building certificate gives information about a property, including flood and termite information. It's handy if you're building or buying, but it's about the land and rules, not what an inspector would find.
Where to look for a wasp nest
A wasp nest can be well away from where you're seeing wasps, so look at the neighbouring ground as well as your own. The shire says nests turn up in holes, tree bases, retaining walls and rockeries, in roofs, wall cavities and under eaves, and in rubbish piles, tree roots and shrubs.
The easy way to find one is to stand back on a warm day and watch which way the wasps fly. Don't go poking around the entrance. The shire says wasps can sting many times, unlike bees.
Bees, spiders and the rest
A bee swarm is a beekeeper's job, and a colony inside a wall is one for a pest business. Most spiders you'll find don't need a treatment, and our Melbourne spider page covers the ones that matter. Inside the house, the usual jobs are the same as anywhere else: ants, cockroaches and mice as it cools down.
Where we'd start with pests in Gisborne
Find the nest before you ring anyone, or at least narrow down the direction, because it decides whose job it is. If it's on your land, tap what you've seen and 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.
