Melbourne Pest Library
Practical identification and control guides for the pests we see in Melbourne homes and businesses, written and reviewed by our licensed team.
Most Melbourne pest problems begin with a small sign — scratching in the roof, droppings in a drawer, or an insect you cannot place. Each guide here explains how to recognise the species, what draws it into a home or business, the risks it carries, and how our licensed technicians deal with it. They are written and reviewed by Muzi Tsolakis and the Protech team, who have managed these species across Melbourne since 2001.
Pest identification and control guides
Subterranean Termite
Melbourne's most destructive timber pest, the early signs to watch for, and how a licensed inspection and treatment works.
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Drywood Termite
The termite that lives inside dry timber and leaves dry frass pellets, and why the real Melbourne threat is the subterranean kind.
Read the guide → Dampwood Termite
The orange-headed termite of damp, decaying timber, why finding one points to a moisture problem, and how it differs from subterranean termites.
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German Cockroach
The small striped cockroach behind most Melbourne kitchen infestations, and how professional gel baiting clears it.
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American Cockroach
The large reddish-brown cockroach of Melbourne drains and subfloors, why it appears indoors, and how we clear it.
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Australian Cockroach
The yellow-margined outdoor cockroach that moves inside in cooler weather, and how professional treatment controls it.
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Oriental Cockroach
The dark, damp-loving cockroach of drains and subfloors, and how we treat both the moisture and the colony.
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Smokybrown Cockroach
The strong-flying mahogany cockroach that shelters in roof voids and gardens, and how a targeted treatment clears it.
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Roof Rat
The agile climber that nests in Melbourne roof voids, with the signs to watch for and how we clear it.
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Brown Rat (Norway Rat)
The heavier, ground-dwelling rat that burrows in under Melbourne subfloors, decks and drains, and how we clear it.
Read the guide → Rat Droppings
What the droppings tell you about which animal you have, how many and how recently — and the cleanup method that protects your health.
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House Mouse
How one mouse becomes an infestation, the places they shelter, and how we clear them.
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Ants
The trail-forming ants Melbourne kitchens attract, the stinging species to watch for, and how baiting clears a colony.
Read the guide → Black House Ant
The small shiny black ant that trails into Melbourne kitchens after sweet food, and how we clear the nest behind it.
Read the guide → Coastal Brown Ant
The big-headed ant that heaps soil between pavers and spreads across many nests, and how baiting reaches the queens.
Read the guide → Carpenter Ant
The large ant that excavates damp timber to nest in it, how its damage differs from termites, and why it points to a moisture problem.
Read the guide → Bull Ant & Jack Jumper
Australia's most aggressive ants, why jack jumper stings are treated as a genuine medical risk in Victoria, and why baiting does not work on them.
Read the guide → Argentine Ant
The invasive ant that builds vast multi-queen supercolonies, why a spray never gets on top of it, and how we manage it.
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Spiders
Redbacks, white-tails and huntsmen — which Melbourne spiders are dangerous, which are harmless, and how we treat them.
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Redback Spider
Australia's best-known venomous spider, where it hides around Melbourne homes, and the right first aid and treatment.
Read the guide → White-Tailed Spider
The truth about the necrotic-bite myth, what a white-tail bite actually does, and how we keep them out.
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Huntsman Spider
The large, fast, harmless spider Melburnians fear most, why it is beneficial, and how to manage it without over-treating.
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Daddy Long-Legs Spider
The most myth-laden spider in the house, what the science actually says, and whether it needs treating at all.
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Black House Spider
The messy web-builder in window frames and brick weep-holes, its painful but not dangerous bite, and how we control it.
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Funnel-Web Spider
What Melbourne's funnel-web risk really is, how it differs from Sydney's, and the emergency first aid to know.
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Bed Bugs
How to spot bed bugs early, how infestations spread, and why professional treatment clears them when DIY cannot.
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Wasps
European and paper wasps, the sting and anaphylaxis risk, and why an established nest is a job for a professional.
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Fleas
Why most of a flea problem hides in the carpet, and how treating the home and pet together finally clears it.
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Possums
Brushtail and ringtail possums in the roof, what Victorian law allows, and how humane exclusion keeps them out.
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Silverfish
The damp-loving insect that damages paper and fabric, where it hides, and how we control it.
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Beetles
Carpet beetles and pantry beetles — the larvae that damage fabric and stored food, and how to clear them.
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Moths
Clothes moths and pantry moths, why the larvae do the damage, and how a professional treatment clears them.
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Pantry Moths
The Indian meal moth behind webbed flour and spoiled dry goods, how it arrives in bought packaging, and how to clear it for good.
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Weevils
Rice, granary and maize weevils — how they hatch inside seemingly clean grain, and how to clear an infested pantry.
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Grain Mites
The near-invisible mites of flour and stored food, the humidity that drives them, and how they differ from weevils.
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Flies
House, blow, fruit and drain flies, the health risk they carry, and why control means removing the breeding source.
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Mosquitoes
How mosquitoes breed in standing water, the diseases they can carry in Victoria, and how to cut their numbers.
Read the guide → Midges
Biting midges and the harmless lake swarms, why bites flare the way they do, and what treatment honestly can and cannot achieve.
Read the guide → Springtails
The tiny jumping insects of damp bathrooms and new slabs, why they mass-appear, and why moisture control is the real fix.
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Wood Borer
The timber-boring beetles behind powder and exit holes, how to tell active damage from old, and how we treat it.
Read the guide →We treat more than twenty pest species across Melbourne, with new guides published through 2026. Not sure what you are dealing with? Call 03 9449 4244 and our team will identify it on the call and advise the next step.
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