What's different in Beerwah
On the edge of the saltmarsh range
Sunshine Coast Council says the saltmarsh mosquito is the most common species here, even this far from the coast, because the Coochin, Coonowrin and Tibrogargan creek corridors and the State forests link the area to the Pumicestone Passage. The railway towns sit on the outer edge of its range.
Forest mosquitoes after rain
Other, less common species emerge in large numbers from State forest where water pools after rain, and can stay for several weeks. The council sets weekly traps at locations in Bells Creek, Beerwah and Beerburrum.
A long quiet stretch
Its sheet for Landsborough, Beerwah, Glasshouse Mountains and Beerburrum records high levels from December to April, peaking in February and March. May to September typically brings very few, if any.
Farms all round
Beerwah is surrounded by productive farmland, including pineapple plantations, with the poultry industry to the west and State forest to the east. Coochin Creek runs through the area. Stored feed, sheds and long grass suit rodents, and snakes follow them.
Big old lots, new estates
Older streets have relatively large lots, and there are substantial new subdivisions off Roberts Road and Pine Camp Road. Tell a pest controller which you've got, because they're very different jobs.
Think it's fire ants?
Keep people and pets away and don't disturb the nest. Report suspect ants or nests to Biosecurity Queensland within 24 hours. That's Queensland law, and it isn't a job we can take. Hold off moving soil, hay, quarry or landscaping products until you've reported it. After any sting, call 000 for noisy breathing, a swollen tongue or throat, wheeze, dizziness or collapse.
Yours, and the pest business's
You can
- Tip out pot bases and clean gutters every week once the rain starts.
- Keep stock and pet feed in sealed bins, and sweep up spills in the shed.
- Stack timber off the ground and keep grass short around the house and shed.
- Photograph droppings, gnaw marks or mud leads, and note where you found them.
Leave to a pest business
- Rodent control around the house, shed and ceiling.
- A termite inspection that takes in outbuildings as well as the house.
- Telling you which product they'd use, where it goes and any precautions for pets and stock.
Rats, mice and the occasional visitor
Rats like a shed as much as a ceiling. Listen for scratching, squeaking and gnawing at night, and look for greasy rub marks along walls. Rat and mouse control has the signs and what the job involves. Snakes are protected in Queensland and aren't a pest controller's job, so keep a licensed snake catcher's details handy and never interfere with one.
Termites are the quiet one on a timber shed or an old outbuilding. The QBCC advises a yearly look at the property, so make sure that includes the outbuildings. Our page on termites on the Sunshine Coast explains the Queensland licence classes.
If we lived out here
We'd sort the shed first, because feed and clutter are what bring rats in, and snakes after them. Then we'd book a termite inspection covering every building on the block. Mosquitoes in a wet February are mostly a matter of screens, repellent and patience.
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.
