Does the wasp local law cover paper wasps?

The law names English, European and other non-native wasps. Whether a particular nest counts depends on the species, so if you're unsure, check with the council. Our paper wasp page helps you tell them apart.

Who collects a swarm in Warrnambool?

A beekeeper. In Victoria anyone keeping even one hive has to register as a beekeeper, so ask for a registered one, and keep everyone clear of the swarm while you wait.

Pest control Warrnambool: wasp law, coast and buying

What's different in Warrnambool

Wasp nests are the owner's job, by law

Warrnambool City Council's Community Local Law, in force since 7 February 2019, requires owners or occupiers to destroy English, European or other non-native wasps nesting on their property. That means arranging it, not tackling it with a ladder and a can.

You can ask about termite designation

The council's property information request, under regulation 51 of the Building Regulations 2018, covers whether land is in an area designated under regulation 150 as likely to be attacked by termites. A designation is a building rule for new work, not a map of where termites are.

A longer mosquito season on the coast

Victoria's Department of Health says coastal mosquitoes usually start earlier and finish later than inland ones, and that a salt water loving mosquito along the coast can spread Ross River and Barmah Forest viruses. Health questions go to your GP.

Around a wasp nest

Keep children and pets well back and don't disturb the entrance; wasps can sting more than once. Call 000 if someone stung has noisy breathing, a swollen tongue or throat, a wheeze, dizziness or collapses.

Finding the nest

About 80% of European wasp nests are in the ground, says Victoria's Department of Health, and most of the rest are inside buildings. So the nest is rarely the thing hanging off the eaves. Stand well back on a sunny afternoon and watch where the wasps fly in a straight line: a hole in the lawn, a gap in the brickwork or a vent.

Take a photo from a distance and note the spot. That's what a pest business needs to know before it arrives. Our wasp nest page explains what the treatment involves.

Buying in Warrnambool

Ask about termite designation through the council's property information request, and book your own inspections rather than leaning on the seller's: Consumer Affairs Victoria says your own report is the only way to be sure it's independent. It also says blisters or bubbles in paintwork can point to termite activity, which is worth noting at an open inspection, without poking at it.

The timber pest inspection is a different job from the building inspection; our pre-purchase page explains the difference.

Bees

Victoria's Department of Health tells pest businesses to pass bee enquiries to a beekeeper or the Victorian Apiarists Association, so a swarm on a fence or branch is a beekeeper's call. Bees that have settled into a wall or roof and can't be collected are when a pest business steps in. Our bees page has the detail.

If it were our place in Warrnambool

We'd find the wasp nest from a safe distance, photograph it and get it treated rather than wait for a sting or a complaint. Buying? Ask the council the termite question early. Tap what you've got and 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.

What have you seen?