Found a wasp nest?
Keep children and pets back and don't go near it. Darebin says never to try removing a backyard nest yourself. If someone who's been stung has noisy breathing or a swollen tongue or throat, call 000.
Reservoir, street by street
Whose nest is it?
On a nature strip, council building or park, Darebin arranges removal. In your own yard, its advice is to go straight to a pest controller who holds a licence. On a light pole, it's the service provider that owns the pole.
Brick and weatherboard
Darebin Libraries says standard brick and weatherboard homes dominate Reservoir, and that vast areas in the north west were still undeveloped until the 1960s. Weatherboards and raised floors mean timber worth keeping an eye on.
Edwardes Lake
The lake was formed by a weir and wall that returned soldiers built, opening with a ceremony in 1920. Swans, ducks and frogs are at home there. Living nearby, the still water in your own yard is the part you can control.
Two creeks
Darebin is bounded by Merri Creek to the west and Darebin Creek to the east, so bush and water corridors are never far from a suburban block.
When the nest is next door
Speak to the owner
Darebin recommends raising what you've noticed with them first.
Note what you saw
Keep the time, the place, and whether wasps cross into your yard.
Then contact council
If the nest stays, Darebin's Customer Service Team is the next step.
Building and pest inspections on older homes
Buying a weatherboard or a brick home on raised floors? A timber pest inspector checks for termites, including the subfloor (the space under a raised floor) where they can reach it. A building inspection is a separate job for a separate profession. Consumer Affairs Victoria advises getting your own report, not relying on one from the agent or seller.
Damaged timber and mud tubes are the signs to mention. Leave them alone until the inspector's seen them. Our subfloor page shows what else turns up down there.
Rats, mice and possums
Darebin's advice on rodents comes down to two habits: take away anything they can eat, and close every gap into the house. A pest controller can find the gaps you can't see and talk through treatment. Possums are different. They're protected, so the job is roof proofing and lawful catch and release within 50 metres on the same property, which is what possum removal really means in Victoria.
Where we'd start with pests in Reservoir
Work out whose land it's on. If it's a nature strip or park, that's a call to Darebin. If it's yours, tap what you've found 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.
