Is this page about Palmerston North?

No. This is Palmerston in the Northern Territory, near Darwin. Palmerston North is in New Zealand and has its own pages.

Can someone get rid of the midges?

Not from your yard. They breed along the mangroves, and NT Health says they cause the most trouble up to 2 km inland. Screens, covering up and staying in around dawn and dusk near the full moon help most.

Do I need to be in a particular suburb?

No. Enquiries can come from anywhere in Australia. Give your postcode with what you've seen, and we pass it to a local pest business, who contacts you about the job.

Pest control Palmerston: termites, midges and NT rules

What's different in Palmerston

The giant northern termite

Palmerston is north of the Tropic of Capricorn, where CSIRO describes Mastotermes darwiniensis as a particularly voracious species. The Australian Museum says it has the greatest potential for destruction of any termite, and it's limited to tropical northern Australia. Its soldiers can reach 13 mm.

Midges along the creeks

In April 2008, NT Health's Medical Entomology unit assessed Palmerston's planned eastern suburbs. It placed parts of Bellamack, Mitchell and Zuccoli within 1.5 km of the tidal mangroves on Mitchell Creek, Brooking Creek and the Elizabeth River, in country with potentially high numbers of biting midges.

Midge months

NT Health says the mangrove biting midge causes the most trouble up to 2 km inland from mangroves, with the highest numbers from August to November. They're worst in the 2 hours either side of sunrise and sunset, and about 3 days either side of the full moon.

Salt marsh mosquitoes

NT Health's salt marsh mosquito calendar covers the Darwin area and says coastal NT places near breeding sites get the same peaks. Very high numbers usually arrive between October and mid January, depending on tides and rain.

Termites come first

CSIRO puts the risk of termite attack highest in the subtropics and tropics, and Palmerston is well inside that band. Most people first notice termites through damaged timber or mud tubes rather than flying swarms, so look along skirting boards, door frames, stairs and anywhere timber is close to the ground.

If you find soft timber or mud, leave it alone. CSIRO says several control options depend on finding the termites still active, so breaking into a tube or spraying it can make the job harder. Then ask for a termite inspection; our Darwin termites page covers what a Top End termite job usually involves.

Newer homes should have a durable termite notice, usually in the meter box, showing the system installed, when, and how often it should be inspected.

The other jobs in a tropical house

Heat and wet seasons suit the big cockroaches. Victoria's health department says Australian cockroaches are most common in warm subtropical and tropical places, and American cockroaches live outdoors in warm regions, coming in from drains and gardens.

The black rat has spread through much of coastal Australia and climbs well, so scratching in the ceiling at night is worth a look. Paper wasps and mud daubers are found right across the country, and redbacks, found right across Australia, hide in dry corners outside.

The common brushtail possum is a protected species in Australia. We haven't confirmed the Northern Territory's own rules for possums in a roof yet, so ask the pest business what the NT allows before anything is done.

Mosquitoes and midges: a pest job or not?

Mostly not. Salt marsh mosquitoes breed in mangroves, brackish swamps and tidal flood plains, and the midges come from the mangroves too, so a yard treatment can't reach where they breed. What helps at home is emptying anything that holds water, screening windows and keeping outdoor time away from the worst hours.

Salt marsh mosquitoes can carry Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus, and NT Health says December and January are the highest risk months for those viruses in the Top End. That's health advice, not a pest control job: for more, NT Health's 2021 calendar points readers to Medical Entomology in Darwin.

Midges are a nuisance rather than a disease risk: NT Health says they don't pass diseases to people in Australia, though scratched bites can get infected.

How pest licences work in the NT

In the Northern Territory, anyone providing pest control services needs a pest management technician licence under the Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 2012. The Department of Health's Medicines and Poisons Control issues them, for up to 3 years, and each licence lists the pesticides its holder may use. Some carry conditions, such as working under a more qualified licensee's direct supervision.

NT law also says an advertisement for pest control offered by a business, including a flyer or a social media post, must show a pest authorisation number. If a quote, flyer or website doesn't show one, ask for it. Our Northern Territory licence page has the detail.

Before the wet season

Tip out pot plant bases, buckets, tyres and anything else that holds rain.
Clear the gutters so water doesn't sit in them.
Get stacked timber and firewood up off the soil, well clear of the walls.
Fix leaking taps and air conditioner drains near the walls.
Find the termite notice in the meter box and check when the next inspection is due.

What we'd do about pests in Palmerston

If the house has never had a termite inspection, or the meter box notice says one is due, we'd start there. For midges and mosquitoes, we'd plan around the calendar rather than pay for a yard treatment.

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?

Pest control in Palmerston, NT

Pest control in Palmerston, NT: what to know before anyone calls