Can a pest business deal with saltmarsh mosquitoes?

Only up to a point. A pest business can treat the shady spots where mosquitoes rest around your yard, but saltmarsh mosquitoes breed out on the tidal flats. Weekly tipping out of water and sound screens do more at home.

Is a virus in a mosquito trap a reason to worry?

It shows the virus is about, not that anyone is sick. NSW Health runs its trapping program every year from November to April, the peak season, and its advice on avoiding bites is the one to follow.

Do you cover Lake Macquarie, Maitland and Port Stephens?

Yes. They have their own pages: Lake Macquarie, Maitland and Port Stephens. Your postcode tells us where you are.

Pest control Newcastle: rats, termites and mosquitoes

What's different in Newcastle

Big tides hatch mosquitoes

On the NSW coast, NSW Health notes that tides over 1.8 metres can set off hatching of the saltmarsh mosquito, so a run of big tides matters as much as rain. In the week ending 7 February 2026, it rated numbers at its Newcastle traps as high.

What the traps have found

NSW Health found Barmah Forest virus in mosquitoes at Tomago on 17 February 2025 and Ross River virus there on 7 April 2025, and Gan Gan virus at Maryland five times early that year. A virus in a trap isn't a human case. NSW Health's own advice tells you what it means for your family.

Ticks on the bush edges

NSW Health says ticks are common in bushland, long grass and humid spots along the east coast, and suggests keeping out of those areas, especially after rain. Worth remembering if your yard backs onto reserve.

Fire ants are a phone call

Think you've seen fire ants? Contact the NSW Biosecurity Helpline. Leave the nest alone, and get a clear photo or video if you can do it from a safe spot.

Rats and mice in a coastal city

The Australian Museum says brown rats are common in coastal urban areas, and black rats, the agile climbers, have spread through much of coastal Australia. Scratching or gnawing in the ceiling at night is usually one of those two, or mice.

CSIRO says cooler weather sends mice looking for shelter in NSW homes, so the noise often starts in autumn. A pest business usually sets bait stations (locked boxes that hold rodent bait) where children and pets can't get at them, then comes back to check them.

Possum or rat above the ceiling?

	Possum	Rat or mouse
What you hear	Heavy thumping and running, deep coughs and sharp hisses	Light scratching, squeaking and gnawing
When	Sleeps in the roof by day, heads out at night to feed	Through the night, and black rats are often seen by day
Droppings	Ask the technician to identify them	Rats: black, torpedo shaped, 10 mm to 18 mm long
The rules	Protected in NSW: catch and release needs a licence	An ordinary pest job

Termites and possums each have their own page

Termites are usually found through damaged timber, not flying swarms: in a CSIRO survey of homes with termites, 86% noticed damaged wood first. Our Newcastle termites page covers what an inspection looks at and the NSW rules for treatment.

Possums are protected wildlife in NSW, so the possums in Newcastle page starts with what the law allows, then how to tell a possum from a rat or a myna.

Around a Newcastle house before summer

Tip out buckets, pot plant bases, bird baths and blocked gutters every week: mosquito eggs need about a week of standing water.
Check fly screens on windows, doors and vents for holes.
Keep bins lidded and pet food sealed, so rats have less reason to stay.
Stack firewood and spare timber off the ground and away from the walls.

Our take on pests in Newcastle

If something's moving in the ceiling, work out first whether it's a possum or a rodent, because the rules are completely different. Then tap what you've heard or seen, with 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.

What have you seen?