What the river and the inner west add
Saltmarsh at Steel Park
Inner West Council reconstructed the Steel Park Saltmarsh, on the riverfront at the eastern end of the park, in 2010. It's one of 9 major wetlands the council manages. NSW Health says the saltmarsh mosquito made up most of Sydney's trap catch in 2024 to 2025, so not every bite by the river comes from water in your yard.
Foxes and mynas
Council says foxes scavenge through rubbish bins and can kill small pets such as guinea pigs, poultry and aviary birds. It wants fox sightings on FoxScan and Common Mynas on MynaScan, so the numbers get counted.
Fire ants at Enfield
The NSW Government reported a fire ant nest at the Enfield Intermodal Logistics Centre on 13 October 2026. Whatever your suburb, suspected fire ants are a report, never a pest job. Don't touch them, and photograph them only if you can do it without getting close.
Who do you tell?
| Who to tell | Why | |
|---|---|---|
| Small coppery brown ants, loose soil mounds | NSW Biosecurity Helpline | Fire ants are prohibited in NSW, so they're reported first |
| A fox in the yard | FoxScan | Council asks for sightings. Keep bins shut and pet enclosures secure |
| Mynas around the eaves | MynaScan | Then have the gaps they use repaired |
| A red-eared slider turtle | New Pests website, straight away | Council says they've been found in the Inner West |
| Rats, cockroaches or a wasp nest | A pest business | These are the everyday jobs |
Inside the house
German cockroaches stay close to warmth and food, so kitchens and the backs of appliances are the first places to look. Rats follow food and shelter, so the fox in your bins and the scratching in your roof can share a cause: rubbish that's easy to get at. Our Sydney cockroach page and rat and mouse page cover what the work involves.
Worth doing near the river
- Tip out pot bases, buckets and blocked gutters after rain, even if the river is the bigger source.
- Keep bins shut and compost enclosed, which helps with foxes, rats and mynas at once.
- Have eaves and roof gaps repaired before spring.
- Feed pets inside and bring the bowls in at night.
Our take on pests in Marrickville
For anything inside the house, get it identified and quoted by one pest business. For anything that looks like fire ants, skip us entirely and ring the helpline.
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.
