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Pest Control

Private land

Responsibility for the upkeep of private land, including for pest control, rests with the owner or occupier of that land. In the event of a pest infestation, a pest control professional should be contacted. In some cases it may be possible to control the situation yourself by using products available at supermarkets and hardware stores.

To reduce the risk of pest infestation, ensure that all buildings and structures on your property are well maintained. Ensure that there is no build-up of materials or vegetation that may make suitable harbourage and breeding sites for pests.

Public land

Buloke Shire Council is responsible for the control of pests on public land within Buloke Shire. If you witness any pests in public areas such as parks, gardens, reserves and nature strips, please contact one of Council’s Customer Service Officers on 1300 520 520.
 

Insects and Rodents

Insects and bugs are a vital part of the cycle of life. They also can become a pest if invading in numbers, doing damage to property or placing people at risk.

Please click on the links below for more information:

Tips

To help control insects and bugs we suggest you:

  • arrange for a pest controller to regularly apply surface treatments to all entry points and windows
  • ensure you have fly screens and make sure they are well maintained
  • ensure external doors and windows are well sealed.

Identification

If you need help identifying an insect or bug, you can click on the links on this page or contact the Museum of Victoria.

Queensland Fruit Fly in Victoria

Queensland fruit fly (QFF) (Bactrocera tryoni) attacks a wide range of fruits and fruiting vegetables, leaving them inedible. Produce damaged by QFF can cause real disappointment for home gardeners. If left uncontrolled, QFF can lead to total crop losses. Managing QFF in your garden can be a challenge; however as with all pests, there are various strategies you can implement to protect your home-grown produce. Whilst QFF activity generally increases in spring as the warmer weather returns, it is not strictly tied to a particular season.

Identification

As with all pest management, it's important to correctly identify the pest you need to treat to ensure the control strategies you plan to implement are appropriate. Adult flies are about seven millimetres long and are reddish-brown in colour, with distinct yellow markings.

Most people discover fruit fly when they cut open their fruit and find it infested with creamy-white

maggots burrowing inside. Other indicators of QFF activity include fruit skins with small puncture marks from where the female fruit fly has laid her eggs and prematurely ripened fruits.

Management

A combination of the methods will be needed to manage QFF in the home garden. Removal of any host plant is vital and general garden hygiene. Exclusion by use of physical barriers such as nets, bags and sleeves. Spraying, Pruning, trapping and baiting are also options to consider. Also where possible, early harvesting of fruit from early maturing trees.

Successful QFF management in a given area depends on a high level of participation among gardeners. Encourage your neighbours to manage their host plants properly to help achieve the best results.

For more information visit www.preventfruitfly.com.au

  • Bees and Wasps If you have found a bee/wasp nest that you would like investigated, please contact the relevant people depending on the location of the nest.
  • Termites Termites are sometimes referred to as 'white ants' because of their appearance - this information may assist in detecting and treating these pests.
  • Rabbits Rabbits are one of the most common and widespread animal pests in Australia.
  • Pigeons As well as being a nuisance and causing extensive damage to property, feral pigeons can also pose a risk to human health.
  • Swooping Birds Residents are reminded to keep an eye out for swooping birds in the coming months as the spring breeding season begins for native birds.