What's different in Butler
The suburb, not a surname
This page is about the suburb of Butler, postcode 6036, in the City of Wanneroo's North-East Ward with Merriwa, Ridgewood, Nowergup and north Clarkson.
Rats leave signs before you see one
The City's rat sheet lists dark, cigar shaped droppings 12mm to 18mm long, greasy rub marks where floors meet walls, burrow holes around buildings and snail shells with the sides chewed out. Rats normally come out at night, so the signs tend to turn up first.
A fly that bites
If a house fly draws blood, look closer. The City shares a sheet on the stable fly, slightly smaller than a house fly with a prominent black mouthpart. It's around in large numbers from late spring to late autumn across much of south-western Australia.
European wasps get reported
DPIRD, the state agriculture department, found nests in Perth areas including Wanneroo in the 2025 to 2026 season. That's an area list, not a sign of a nest in your street. If you suspect one, report it to DPIRD or through MyPestGuide Reporter. It isn't a job for a pest business.
Where rats settle around a Butler block
The City says rats burrow into grassy banks and under sheds, and use wall cavities and roof spaces if they can get in. They also climb fences and bird tables after food.
Firewood is a common nesting spot, so the sheet says to stack it away from fences and at least 40cm off the ground. WA Health says owners and renters are both legally responsible for keeping rats and mice from living on the property, which makes the back fence worth a chat with the neighbours.
Stable flies are a tidy-up job first
These flies breed in rotting vegetable matter and piles of grass clippings, and the sheet calls removing those sites by far the most effective control. Spread clippings thinly so they dry out.
Termites in a newer home
A recent build still gets a yearly check: WA's Building and Energy recommends a termite inspection at least once a year. Look in the meter box too. The building code calls for a durable notice in a prominent place like that, showing the termite system used, when it went in and how often to inspect.
If a builder in the past six years didn't provide the termite protection the code requires, Building and Energy says you can refer the matter to it.
Your part, and the pest business part
You can
- Stack firewood off the ground and clear of the fence.
- Pick ripe fruit and nuts, and keep bulk pet food sealed.
- Photograph droppings or gnawing so you can show someone.
Leave to a pest business
- Finding how rats are getting into walls or the roof, and any bait stations (locked boxes that hold rodent bait).
- Termite inspections, which in WA need the Termites and Timber pests endorsement on the technician's licence.
If we lived in Butler
We'd walk the fence line and the shed first, looking for burrows, droppings and chewed snail shells, and move the firewood. If the signs keep coming, tap rats and your postcode. And if it's been over a year, get the termite check done.
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.
