What's Trending in Sydney Pest Control This Spring

It's been a big spring on the pest front. Three stories are live across Sydney: the fire ant response in the inner west, the largest bogong moth migration in about a decade, and a bird flu outbreak keeping wildlife teams busy along the coast. Underneath the headlines, the seasonal surge is running too: cockroaches climbing as the warmth arrives, termites swarming on humid evenings, and wasp queens starting nests in eaves and garden beds.

Here's what's trending and what to do about each. Some of it isn't a pest control job at all, and we'll tell you so.

In the news right now

Fire ants: the control order is in effect

The fire ant response in the inner west entered its next phase: a Biosecurity Control Order came into effect on 26 October, covering a two-kilometre zone around the Enfield Intermodal Logistics Centre. It restricts the movement of high-risk materials only, including turf, mulch, soil, potted plants and heavy equipment. Daily life isn't affected, and no further nests have been found despite nearly 400 reports from the public.

If you think you've found fire ants, this is the one pest problem in Sydney where you should not call a pest controller. Fire ants are prohibited matter in NSW, and disturbing or treating a nest can make them spread. The official steps are:

• Leave it: don't destroy or spray the nest, and don't try to capture the ants.
• Snap it: get a clear photo or video from a safe distance.
• Call it: report it to the NSW Biosecurity Helpline on 1800 680 244.

The current zone rules are at nsw.gov.au/fireants. We covered the original detection, and why it matters, in Fire Ants Detected in Sydney: What Inner West Residents Should Know.

Bogong moths: waves until November

The migration that filled the news (and briefly confused the weather radar) isn't over. Swarms are moving through in waves, and University of Sydney ecologist Dieter Hochuli expects them to keep arriving for a few weeks, possibly into November.

The key facts haven't changed: bogong moths are harmless. They don't bite, sting, eat clothes or breed indoors. They're migrating to the Alps and Sydney is in the way, so spraying the swarm does nothing about the next wave, and experts and councils ask people not to kill them while the species recovers.

If moths are finding their way inside night after night, treatment focuses on your home rather than the swarm: screening vents, sealing the gaps they slip through, managing the lights that draw them in, and a professional moth repellent treatment around entry points and resting spots. Our moth control service handles that, best booked once the migration has moved on. The full story: Bogong Moths in Sydney: What the 2026 Swarm Means for Your Home.

Dead birds: report first, don't touch

NSW has recorded more than 70 H5 bird flu events this spring, mostly in coastal birds such as terns. The risk to people stays low, and there have been no detections in poultry or livestock, but authorities want sightings reported, not handled.

If you find a sick or dead bird: keep your distance, record the location and what you see, and call the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888. Don't move or dispose of the bird unless you're instructed to. The current guidance is on the NSW bird flu page.

If safe removal is advised after that, our dead bird removal service handles disposal properly. Keep dogs leashed and cats contained around beaches and wetlands while this is running.

The spring surge

Beyond the headlines, these are the jobs we're being called out for most this month.

Cockroaches: the types, where they hide and why numbers climb

Cockroaches are Sydney's most common household pest. Across one pest company's decade of booking data (nearly 100,000 treatments) reported by realestate.com.au, they appear in about 49 per cent of jobs, more than every other pest combined. Cockroaches are cold-blooded, so as temperatures climb, their breeding speeds up. This is the season the numbers grow fastest.

The three you'll meet around Sydney homes:

• German cockroaches (12-15 mm, tan with two dark stripes behind the head) are the main indoor species, living in kitchens and bathrooms and travelling between homes in boxes, bags and second-hand appliances.

• American cockroaches (35-40 mm, red-brown) come up from drains, sewers and subfloors, and can fly in warm weather.
• Australian cockroaches (about 35 mm, with yellow margins on the wings) mostly live outdoors in gardens and leaf litter, wandering in through gaps.

Indoors, they settle where it's warm, dark and damp: behind the fridge, dishwasher and microwave, inside cupboards and kickboards, around sinks and drains. Density and coast both matter in the booking data: the beachside eastern suburbs report cockroaches in 64.8 per cent of jobs, the inner east in 60.2 per cent. And it's not just the sight of them. Australia's enHealth guidance says people with asthma can react to cockroach allergens "second only" to dust mites, with the strongest link in children.

If you've tried supermarket sprays or foggers, you'll know they don't last. Field studies show foggers barely dent a population, and professional gel treatments are the method that works. Our cockroach control service covers inspection, treatment and prevention for houses and apartments, and the deep dive is here: Why Cockroaches Keep Coming Back in Sydney (and What Actually Works).

Termites: swarm season is peaking

Warm, humid evenings through spring and early summer trigger termite swarms, and October to December is the peak window in Sydney. The winged alates around your porch light can't hurt you; the signal is what matters. A swarm means a mature colony is within flying range.

Don't spray, and don't disturb where they're coming from. Keep a few insects or shed wings, and book a licensed timber pest inspection, especially if alates are emerging from inside the house: skirting boards, cornices, window frames. For scale, CSIRO's Sydney fieldwork found termites somewhere on about one in three properties, and inside roughly one in six houses.

The full playbook is in Flying Termites in Sydney: What Swarm Season Means for Your Home. Our termite control service starts with a timber pest inspection to Australian Standard AS 4349.3.

Wasps and bees: nest season just started

European wasp queens are founding nests right now, in eaves, wall cavities, rockeries and compost heaps. Those nests grow all summer and into autumn, sometimes to tens of thousands of wasps. Wasps sting repeatedly and defend nests aggressively, so if one has appeared in a spot people or pets use, don't tackle it yourself. NSW DPI's advice for a nest at home is to contact a pest controller, which is what our wasp and bee removal service does.

A bee swarm is a different situation. A cluster of 5,000 to 20,000 bees resting in a tree is calm if left alone, and it should go to a beekeeper. Once bees move into a wall cavity or roof, though, it becomes a pest control job, as councils such as the City of Ryde explain.

Rodents: still at record pressure

Inner Sydney's rat numbers have stayed at record highs, and this year pest managers are seeing more nests and litters inside homes: under appliances, in cupboards, in roof voids. Spring keeps them breeding, and construction keeps them moving.

Leptospirosis is the reason we lead with this one. It's a bacterial infection spread through the urine of infected animals, and some Sydney vets now recommend lepto vaccination for dogs living within about 10 km of the CBD. Ask your vet what's right for your dog; NSW Health's fact sheet covers the household basics.

Rat bait rules also changed this year: the APVMA has suspended registrations of the strongest baits for a year while it works through new restrictions (APVMA), so it pays to have someone who knows the current rules assess your situation. Our rodent control service covers inspection, treatment and proofing.

On the radar: the rest of spring and summer

What's building over the next couple of months, and worth getting ahead of:

• Funnel-web spiders: breeding season runs November to April, when males wander into garages, laundry piles and pool filters. Don't kill them; the antivenom program relies on spiders people hand in, and November is Venom Month at the Australian Reptile Park. Around the home, the work is reducing harbourage: clearing debris, timber piles and leaf litter away from walls.
• Mosquitoes: NSW Health's surveillance season restarts now. Last season, Ross River virus was detected in mosquitoes trapped in Penrith, Parramatta and Blacktown, and the Bureau of Meteorology's outlook points to a wet, stormy summer. Empty anything around the yard that holds water; it's the best home measure there is.
• Ticks: peak season runs September to December, and local vets on the Central Coast put out fresh warnings this month. Check pets daily (head, neck, ears, between the toes), and follow the Australian CDC's home checklist: keep grass short, clear leaf litter, and bring in a pest controller for yard treatment where ticks keep appearing.
• Possums: the noisiest stretch of the year, with autumn-bred joeys still riding along with their mothers and roof dens getting reused. Possums are protected, so removal has to be licensed and humane, which is what our possum removal service does. The full guide: Possum in the Roof? What Sydney Homeowners Should Know.

When it's a job for us

Not everything on this list is a spray job, and we'll be the first to say so. Fire ants go to the biosecurity hotline, and a bee swarm goes to a beekeeper. When it's cockroaches in the kitchen, termites under the floor, a wasp nest in the eaves, rats in the roof or a possum in the ceiling, that's a call for us.

If you're not sure which situation you're looking at, send us a photo or book a visit, and we'll tell you honestly whether anything needs doing. You can also call 0450 795 797.