What's different at Dee Why
The wildlife refuge
Northern Beaches Council says Dee Why Lagoon Wildlife Refuge covers 77ha, about 30ha of it open water, and dogs and cats are banned at all times. If your yard backs onto it, tell the technician before any treatment so they can plan around it.
Saltmarsh and mosquitoes
The council lists the refuge among the places coastal saltmarsh grows. Across metropolitan Sydney, the saltmarsh mosquito was 61.5% of the 2024 to 2025 catch, and NSW Health notes that tides over 1.8 metres could trigger hatching on the NSW coast.
Where the traps are
Council's mosquito monitoring has run along Narrabeen Lagoon and Warriewood wetlands, further up the beaches. NSW Health found Barmah Forest virus in mosquitoes trapped at Narrabeen on 18 March 2025. A virus in a trap isn't a human case, and we can't tell you what's in Dee Why's mosquitoes.
Mynas around the shops
Council calls common mynas a pest of urban areas, particularly around shopping areas and cafes. At home, it suggests blocking holes in your roof or eaves, once you've checked no other animal is using them.
Before mosquito season
- Empty containers, birdbaths, toys and plant trays, which is council's own list of where they breed.
- Wear long, loose clothing outside at dawn and dusk, when council says to be most careful.
- Check gutters and any tarps or covers that hold rainwater.
- Keep fly screens in good repair on the side of the house facing the water.
Pest inspection in Dee Why
A pest inspection usually comes up when you're buying, or when you've seen something in a wall or subfloor. A timber pest inspection that uses no pesticide doesn't need an NSW EPA licence, so it's the inspector's qualifications and insurance you want to ask about.
NSW Government advice is that a seller's pre-sale report can help but isn't a substitute for your own. If you're renting and pests turn up, tell your agent early and keep a record.
Everything else
German cockroaches are the hardest pest cockroach to shift, the Australian Museum says, and they're the small amber ones in kitchens, not the big brown ones that fly in on a warm night. European wasps are established across metropolitan Sydney, usually out of sight in the ground or a wall, so if you see them coming and going from one spot, keep people and pets clear.
Our take on pests in Dee Why
Mosquitoes near the lagoon won't be solved from your backyard, so spend your effort on standing water and screens. For anything inside the house, tap it and add 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.
