What's different in Malvern
Not at risk isn't the same as none
Stonnington says its area isn't currently considered at risk of termites, yet they may still damage structures here. It tells anyone buying in the area to get a professional to check the building.
Council keeps a quiet eye on them
Stonnington doesn't treat termites, but it asks people to make a confidential termite report so it can monitor them. If a technician finds activity, that report is worth making.
Villas from the 1880s on
The statement for Malvern's Claremont Avenue Precinct describes single storey Victorian and Federation villas from the late 1880s to the late 1910s, mostly timber or face red brick, under corrugated steel, slate or terracotta tile. Old verandahs, floors and roofs all give pests more places to get in.
Rodents and mosquitoes from a neighbour
Stonnington says it can only manage these if they're coming from a private residence. If you don't know where they're coming from, Council says to contact pest control.
Worth a call in an older Malvern home
- Mud tubes on stumps, piers or brickwork. Don't disturb them.
- Paint on skirting boards or window frames that has blistered or bubbled.
- Timber that sounds hollow or feels soft underfoot near a wet area.
- Scratching in the ceiling that starts when the heater goes on.
- Droppings along the back of kitchen cupboards.
Possums in an old roof
Stonnington says possums are protected by law, you've a legal obligation to deal with them humanely, and it suggests a commercial service if one's living in your roof or wall. Any possum caught must be released on the same property, within 50 metres of the capture site.
Older roofs tend to have more gaps than newer ones, so the lasting fix is finding those gaps and proofing them after the possum's gone out for the night. A nest box in the garden can help it settle elsewhere.
If it were our villa in Malvern
We'd book a timber pest inspection regardless of what the area's risk rating says, and we'd want every old gap at the roof line found. For anything you've noticed already, tell us what it is 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.
