What's different in Miranda
From market gardens to estates
Sutherland Shire Libraries says most early settlers were poultry farmers or market gardeners, before the Holt Sutherland Estate Land Company created residential estates. A tramway ran along Kingsway from 1911 to 1931, and the railway came in 1939.
Wasps with a long local record
A library index card records a Leader article of 29 March 1978 confirming European wasps at nearby Sylvania Waters, and a 1994 card notes complaints to the Shire council about them. The Australian Museum now calls them firmly established in metropolitan Sydney.
The nest may not be yours
Victoria's Department of Health says European wasps forage up to half a kilometre from the nest, so the nest may be on a neighbour's property. About 80% of nests are in the ground.
The shopping centre
A large shopping complex opened in 1964 and continues today as Westfield Miranda. Where there's food and rubbish, rats and cockroaches follow.
Running a shop or food business here
Cockroaches seen during the day often point to a large infestation, says Victoria's Department of Health. German cockroaches favour kitchens, cupboards and warm spots near appliances.
Ask a pest business about a regular program and a written record of each visit. Our commercial pest control page explains what's usually involved.
Wasps in the yard
You can
- Keep food and sweet drinks covered outside.
- Watch from a distance to see where they fly in and out.
- Keep kids and pets away from that spot.
- Take one photo from well back.
Leave to a pest business
- Treating a nest in the ground, a wall or the roof.
- Finding a nest that isn't obvious.
- Any nest near a door or a play area.
What to ask about a wasp nest
- How will you find the nest if it's not on my block?
- Can I have the full product name before you start?
- How long should we keep people and pets away?
- What happens if wasps are still active a few days later?
If it were our yard in Miranda
We'd watch for ten minutes from a distance to see where the wasps are heading, then tap A wasp nest with what we saw. Stay away from the entrance, however small it looks.
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.
