Pest Control Greensborough

Possums and Rats in Greensborough Roofs

Roof noise is the most common reason a Greensborough household calls us, and it is usually one of two animals. Brushtail possums have continuous indigenous canopy to travel along from the gorge and river reserves, and the local housing gives them easy entry at the deep eaves, the multiple junctions of a split-level roof and the timber fascia that lifts as it weathers. Once inside, a brushtail flattens and fouls insulation, chews wiring, and the urine works its way through plaster into the rooms below.

Possums are protected native wildlife in Victoria, and a possum taken from a roof must be released on the same property. That rule is why trapping on its own never settles a Greensborough possum problem: the animal is back through the same gap within a night or two. Our work is humane removal followed by a full proofing pass across the roofline, using a one-way exit where an animal is still inside, and we can install a possum box so it has a legitimate alternative on the block.

Roof rats use the same highways, which is why plenty of Greensborough homes have both. Overhanging branches, service cables, trellis and timber fences all deliver rodents to the roofline, and leaf litter, woodpiles and dense boundary planting give them cover at ground level. We bring the numbers down with baiting and trapping, then proof, because a roof that is open to a possum is open to a rat.

Telling them apart before you book

A possum lands with a thump and moves slowly and deliberately across the ceiling, most often at dusk and again before dawn. Rats are lighter, faster and more continuous, with scratching and gnawing. We confirm the species on inspection, since the treatments have nothing in common and wildlife law applies to one of them.

Termites on Sloping Greensborough Blocks

A sloping, heavily treed block with timber retaining walls gives subterranean termites more concealed routes to a building than almost any other suburban situation. Timber sleepers in direct soil contact, cut-and-fill construction, subfloor areas that step down the slope, garden beds built up against the wall and retained stumps all supply either food or a protected path. Mature eucalypts hold moisture at the base and drop limbs that decay in the leaf litter, and the clay and clay-loam soils here hold water through winter.

Greensborough’s dominant 1970s and 1980s housing also pre-dates barrier standards that would apply today, and many homes have had decks, pergolas and carports added over the years, often fixed straight to the frame.

Our termite inspection covers the full perimeter, the subfloor where there is access, the roof void, retaining walls, fencing, garden beds, stumps and anything fixed to the house. On a Greensborough property the report typically has as much to say about conditions as about live activity: a timber retaining wall in soil contact, a dripping tap or air-conditioning condensate line behind a shrub, firewood stacked against the wall, or a garden bed raised over the weep holes. Where treatment is needed we use a chemical barrier or a baiting system depending on the construction, the slope and the landscaping, and we explain which suits the property before quoting. Heavily landscaped blocks are often better served by baiting, and we will say so.

European Wasps, Spiders and Ants

European wasps from the gorge and river reserves

Greensborough is one of the suburbs where European wasps cause the most trouble. Nests go into cut batters and sloping bank faces, the gaps behind timber retaining-wall sleepers, wall cavities, roof voids, under decking and inside compost heaps, and the gorge and river reserves give foraging workers plenty of range. A colony that was small in November can hold thousands of workers by late February. European wasps sting repeatedly and recruit nest-mates to defend the colony, so a nest near a deck, a pool gate or a play area is dangerous and should be left to us. We also handle bee swarms and hives, and relocate honey bees where that is safe.

Huntsman, black house and redback spiders

Huntsman spiders live under loose eucalypt bark and come indoors through gaps around older timber window reveals and open eaves, particularly on warm evenings and ahead of a weather change. Black house spiders colonise window frames, eaves and verandah corners, and redbacks take the dry voids in timber retaining walls, under outdoor furniture and decking, in meter boxes and among stacked pots. A perimeter and harbourage treatment, combined with attention to the entry gaps, is what cuts the indoor traffic down.

Ants, fleas and the rest

Sugar ants and black house ants work in from established garden beds and leaf litter along slab edges, paving joints and the base of timber decking. We also take regular calls for fleas on properties with pets and wildlife traffic, wood borer in older timber, silverfish in the cool storage areas common in split-level homes, and subfloor ventilation where a sloping site has left a subfloor damp enough to cause problems of its own.

Pest Control Services We Provide in Greensborough

• Possum removal, roof proofing and possum box installation under Victorian wildlife law
• Rat and mouse control with full roofline proofing for treed blocks
• Termite inspections, barriers and treatments for sloping sites with timber retaining walls
• European wasp nest removal, plus bee swarms and hives
• Spider control for huntsman, black house spiders and redbacks
• Ant control for garden beds, paving, slab edges and decking
• Cockroach control and flea treatments
• Subfloor ventilation for damp subfloors on sloping sites
• Pre-purchase building and pest inspections, worth having on any treed Greensborough block
• Commercial pest control for Greensborough Plaza retail, cafés, schools and childcare centres

Not sure what you are dealing with? Send a photo or a short description through our contact page and we will identify it and tell you how we would treat it.

Greensborough Pest Control FAQs

Why are possums such a problem in Greensborough?

Greensborough sits against the Plenty Gorge parklands and the Plenty River corridor, with mature indigenous canopy on most streets and a lot of 1970s and 1980s housing with deep eaves, split levels and timber fascia. Brushtail possums have continuous tree cover to travel along and plenty of roofline gaps to get through. Because Victorian law requires a possum to be released on the same property, the proofing pass after humane removal is the part that actually ends the problem.

We get European wasps every summer — where are they nesting?

On a Greensborough block the usual sites are the face of a cut batter or sloping bank, the gaps behind timber retaining-wall sleepers, wall cavities, roof voids, under decking and inside compost heaps. The gorge and river reserves give foraging workers plenty of range. Colonies build through summer and peak in late February and March, and a nest near a deck or a play area is genuinely dangerous because European wasps sting repeatedly and defend the nest in numbers. Please call us before attempting anything yourself.

Our house is on a slope with timber retaining walls — does that raise the termite risk?

It does. Timber retaining walls in direct soil contact, cut-and-fill construction, sub-floor areas that step down a slope and garden beds built up against the wall all give subterranean termites a concealed route to the building. Mature eucalypts and retained stumps add buried timber. Greensborough’s 1970s and 1980s housing also pre-dates modern barrier standards, so an annual termite inspection is the sensible baseline here.

Something is in the roof at night — how do we know if it is rats or possums?

Weight and timing are the giveaways. A possum lands with an audible thump and moves slowly across the plaster, with activity around dusk and again before dawn. Rats are lighter, quicker and more continuous, with scratching and gnawing. We confirm it on inspection, because the treatments are completely different and wildlife law applies to one of them.

How quickly can you get to Greensborough?

Greensborough is on our northern run with Mill Park, Eltham, Ivanhoe and Reservoir, off the Greensborough Highway and Metropolitan Ring Road. Same-day or next-day appointments are usually available, 7 days a week including after-hours emergencies; call 03 9449 4244.

From Greensborough we also cover Eltham, Mill Park, Ivanhoe, Reservoir and Doreen, plus Watsonia, Bundoora, Montmorency, Briar Hill, Diamond Creek and St Helena. See our full service areas.