Somerville's pest calendar
Apple country
The Shire says Somerville and Tyabb have long been recognised as centres of apple growing and packing, and that orchards dominated the landscape by the early 20th century. Any fruit tree left to drop today feeds the same animals it always did, wasps included.
When rodents move in
Mornington Peninsula Shire says rodents are most likely to invade homes when surrounding paddocks or grasslands are harvested, or when the natural seed food runs out in autumn. Colder months then drive them indoors for warmth.
What keeps them here
The Shire points to poorly maintained chicken pens, bird aviaries, compost piles, defective bins and fallen fruit. On a Somerville block with chooks and a few trees, that's a checklist, not a coincidence.
On northern Western Port
The Shire lists Somerville among its northern Western Port towns, on a coast of wetlands, saltmarsh and mangroves. Its whole area is designated for termites under the Building Regulations 2018, which is about new building work rather than where termites are.
Rat or mouse? What the signs say
| Rats | Mice | |
|---|---|---|
| Droppings | Banana or sausage shaped (Norway rat), spindle shaped (roof rat) | Small, spindle or irregular |
| Holes | About 80 mm across | Up to 20 mm wide |
| Feeding | Crumbs and smaller pieces left behind | Outside of grain nibbled, core left |
Rodent control around sheds and chooks
A treatment works far better once the food is gone. The technician's job is to find the runs, the entry points and any nests, then place bait stations (locked boxes that hold rodent bait) where they make sense. Tell them about pets, chooks and any wildlife you see.
If it's on Shire land, like a park or reserve, the Shire asks you to report it. On your own land, it's yours. Our rats and mice page goes further.
You, and the pest business
You can
- Feed chooks what they'll finish, and lock feed in a metal bin.
- Pick up windfall fruit every few days through autumn.
- Stack wood and hay off the ground and away from the house.
- Seal gaps around pipes and under doors before the first cold snap.
Leave to a pest business
- Tracking where rodents are getting into the roof or walls.
- Placing and checking locked bait stations.
- Proofing a roof against a possum, which is protected wildlife.
- Treating a European wasp nest.
Our advice before autumn
Clear the windfalls and lock up the chook feed in late summer, before the paddocks are cut. If you can already hear them, tap the pest 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.
