The City can provide assistance when pests such as vermin, flies, mosquitoes and European wasps are reported on public property. For common pests related to the City's parks, reserves and beaches, visit our Pests, weeds and diseases page to find out more information.
Rats
Rats are well established in most cities and suburban areas due to the many opportunities for food and shelter afforded by human activity.
To prevent rats on your property:
- Remove fruit and nuts from trees or vines at the end of season
- Keep pet food dishes clean and store pet food supplies securely in sealed containers and locations where rats cannot enter or chew through
- Store bird seed and chicken feed in an airtight container
- Prune overgrown shrubs and long grass regularly
- Store firewood away from sheds and fences, and keep it at least 40cm off the ground
- Regularly remove or limit garden waste or other disused material in sheds or around your yard
- Ensure that potential access points to buildings are blocked
- Do not include meat scraps in compost
- Keep waste bins and compost containers clean and well maintained.
How to eradicate rats
The most effective management strategies include the use of traps and poison baits. However, some rat baits may present a risk to native wildlife through the unintended consequence of secondary poisoning, that might occur when native wildlife feed on rats or mice that have eaten rat bait.
To reduce the risk of secondary poisoning, Second-Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides’ (SGARs) should be avoided. The City does provide some starter sample packs of First-Generation rodent baits for residents. The packs can be collected free of charge from the City of Stirling Customer Contact Centre.
Mosquitoes, flies, and midges
To minimise mosquitoes, flies and midges on your property:
- Place flywire on all doors and windows
- Identify and remove all stagnant water sources
- Ensure lids on septic tanks, soak wells and leach drains are sealed
- Make sure your sewerage vent pipe has a fly-proof cowl
- Keep waste bins and compost containers clean and well maintained
- Wrap all food scraps tightly and place them in your waste bin immediately
- Keep pet food dishes clean and store pet food supplies securely in sealed containers.
The City accepts enquiries about midges but is limited in terms of chemical control options, as there is none registered specifically for midge control in lakes and wetlands.
For more information regarding preventative measures that you can take to prevent yourself from mosquito bites and to help reduce mosquito numbers, please visit the Healthy WA website.
European Wasp
European wasps are a declared pest in Western Australia and can cause significant environmental damage by preying on native insects, competing with other animals such as birds.
To find out more, view the European Wasp identification sheet.
To report a sighting, please contact the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development on (08) 9368 3080.