What sets the east apart
An exotic mosquito watch
NSW Health recorded an exotic Aedes aegypti mosquito at Matraville on 4 March 2025. The local health district has also monitored mosquitoes in Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park since 2023, near an international freight terminal. That's a matter for the health authorities, not a pest business.
Sand changes the spider story
The Australian Museum says Sydney real estate is a rough guide to funnel-web numbers, dearer areas having more, with the dry, sandy eastern suburbs the exception. Fewer isn't none, and any big black spider bite is still a 000 call.
Possums stay put
Woollahra Municipal Council says possums usually live in tree hollows but are highly territorial, don't move on easily, and sometimes shelter in your roof. Loss of bushland has taken many of those hollows.
Cockatoos aren't a pest job
Woollahra Council says flocks of sulphur-crested cockatoos can damage decks, outdoor furniture, window sills and houses, particularly in spring. Native birds are protected in NSW, so talk to council before doing anything.
Bees in the home
For problem bees in the home, Woollahra points residents to the Sydney Bee Club. If they've gone into a wall, say so when you enquire, because the job changes.
Three councils, three sets of programs
The area covers Waverley, Randwick City and Woollahra councils, and each runs its own programs for public land. Generally, what's on your own block is yours to deal with, so check your council before assuming they'll send someone.
Rodent control and termite treatment
Older terraces and semis share walls, roofs and drains, so rats and mice move easily between homes. Rodent control works far better when neighbours act together. Start with bins, then pet food, then gaps under the eaves.
We'd never tell you a suburb doesn't have termites, sand or no sand. An inspection is how you find out about your own house. Before a termite treatment, get the inspection report and ask what's being treated and why. Leave any mud tubes alone until it's done.
Our take on pests in the Eastern Suburbs
We'd start at the roofline in these older homes. Most of the visitors here, possums and rats alike, come in where tiles have slipped or eaves have opened up. Have a look from the ground, then tell us what you've found.
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.
