Can a pest business treat for dengue mosquitoes in Rockhampton?

A pest business can treat around a yard, but we won't say any treatment prevents dengue. The council's own advice starts with removing water from containers every week. For health advice, go to Queensland Health.

Do drywood termites need a different approach?

Often, yes. They live inside the timber instead of coming up from the soil, so ask the termite inspector what signs they'd look for and which treatments reach them.

Do you cover Yeppoon and the Capricorn Coast?

Tell us your postcode and what you've seen, and we look for a pest business that works there. Our Yeppoon page covers what's different on the coast.

Pest control Rockhampton: termites and daytime mosquitoes

What's different in Rockhampton

The dengue mosquito lives here

Rockhampton Regional Council says Aedes aegypti is present in the region, and Queensland Health has rated Rockhampton a moderate risk for a dengue outbreak. In 2019 the city had an outbreak with 13 confirmed cases, including locally transmitted ones.

It bites by day and hides inside

Dengue mosquitoes rest indoors in dark places like wardrobes and under beds, and prefer to bite during daylight. Their larvae grow in buckets, pot plant saucers, birdbaths, tyres, roof gutters and unscreened rainwater tanks.

Storm season, September to April

The council steps up its mosquito awareness campaigns before and through the storm and wet season, from September to April.

Two kinds of termite

Business Queensland says ground termites that travel in enclosed mud galleries occur throughout Queensland, and so does the West Indian drywood termite, which has caused considerable damage to timber homes in the state.

Why termites lead the list

The council's Tropic of Capricorn Spire stands at the southern entrance to the city, and CSIRO puts the risk of termite attack highest in the subtropics and tropics. That's why a regular termite inspection is the first job we'd suggest on almost any Rockhampton house.

After that come timber pest inspections for buyers, cockroaches, rats and mice, spiders and mosquitoes around the yard. The Rockhampton termites page explains how ground and drywood termites differ, and why it changes the treatment.

What the storm season brings out

Winged termites may leave the nest on humid evenings in the warmer months, often around dusk, says CSIRO. A cloud of them at the porch light is worth an inspection booking, since the flight came from a colony somewhere nearby, but it's damaged timber that most people notice first.

Redbacks are found right across Australia, and the Australian Museum says their bites happen most often over summer. One under the outdoor setting isn't worth paying anyone for; a steady stream around a play area is a different matter.

A weekly round for the dengue mosquito

Tip out and scrub
Empty buckets, pot plant saucers, birdbaths, tyres and toys, then turn them over or store them dry.
Check the roof gutters
Blocked gutters hold water for days. Clear leaves and check they drain after rain.
Screen the tank
Unscreened rainwater tanks are a breeding site. Check the screens and the inlet for holes.
Look inside too
This mosquito rests in dark corners indoors. Screens on doors and windows, and a look behind wardrobes, help.

Where we'd start with pests in Rockhampton

Book a termite inspection if you can't remember the last one, and make the weekly water round a habit from September. For anything else you're seeing, tap it 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.

What have you seen?