What's different in Balcatta
Homes from the late 1960s
The City of Stirling says Balcatta's dwellings are mainly single detached homes, many of them brick and tile, and that residential development grew quickly from the late 1960s. Brick hides what's behind it, so the timber inside is what a termite inspector looks at.
Gardens first, then industry
Before the 1960s the land was mainly market gardens and other rural uses. Industry arrived mostly in the 1970s, and the City calls the industrial area in the northern part of the suburb a significant employment centre.
The council's side and yours
The City says it can help when pests such as vermin, flies, mosquitoes and European wasps are reported on public property. On your own block, WA Health says owners and renters are legally responsible for keeping rats and mice from living there.
Plenty of public open space
Balcatta has 52ha of it, across 32 local and six district open spaces. If the problem is in a park or on a verge rather than your yard, tell the City first.
Before you knock out a wall
Get the inspection first
A termite inspector can see more before the builder arrives. WA Health says termite and timber pest work needs the Termites and Timber pests endorsement on the technician's licence.
Keep the barrier
WA's Building and Energy says extensions or alterations must not remove existing termite barriers or access for inspections. Ask how your plans affect both.
Mind the edges
Keep garden beds off the outside walls, don't let soil block drainage or ventilation openings, and don't store anything against the walls.
Keep what you find
Hold on to inspection reports and treatment records, since the next inspector will want them.
If you think you can see termites
Building and Energy says the first sign inside can be slight discolouring of a wall surface, then warping where timber panelling lines the wall. Don't disturb them with household sprays or by removing infested wood. Photograph it from where you are and call it in.
Rats are common, and that says nothing about you
The City of Stirling says rats are well established in most cities and suburban areas, so one sighting isn't a comment on your housekeeping. WA Health's list of signs covers thin black droppings, greasy trails, missing pet food and scratching in walls or ceilings. It also warns that gnawed wiring can start fires, which is reason enough not to ignore noises overhead.
Wasps
Report a suspected European wasp to DPIRD, as the City asks. Paper wasps under the eaves are an ordinary job for a pest business. Our Perth wasp page shows the difference.
Worth asking before you say yes
- What's your Department of Health registration number?
- Can I see the endorsements on the technician's licence?
- Will the written quote show contact details, licence details and an ABN?
- Will I get a report after the treatment?
Our take on pests in Balcatta
If you're planning any work on a Balcatta house, get the termite inspection done first, because it's far easier before the walls change. For rats or anything else, tap what you've seen 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.
