Ants are often after water and not sweet or sugary food. There are various types of ant in Melbourne such as the Argentine Ant, Black House Ant, White-footed House Ant, Coastal Brown Ant, Carpenter Ant and Bull Ants. It is important to identify the type of ant and where they’re coming from before effective treatment can be applied. Watch out for these small armies of insects!

Common spiders in Melbourne are Redbacks, White-Tails and Huntsmen – but there are hundreds of species. They’ll move in inside or outside and set up their homes anywhere such as in your shoes, clothes, and toys. One bite and if you have an allergic reaction to the bacteria they carry or their venom then terrible damage can be done to a person’s skin (they can even cause death in some cases).

Cockroaches can cause disgust in many people and they can take over your home in the most unlikely places in just a matter of days. There various types found in Melbourne including the German Cockroach, American Cockroach, Oriental Cockroach, Australian Cockroach, and the Common Shining Cockroach. Cockroaches are primarily scavengers, feeding on dead animals, plant matter and food scraps so it is important to keep the kitchen clean.

Silverfish may not bother you until you wear your favourite outfit and realise it has silverfish holes in it. Silverfish can be difficult to get rid of alone, as they prefer to live in quiet places such as ceiling, roofs, on walls, bookshelves, built in robes, closets, storage boxes and rooms. They are starch eaters feeding off plasterboard, books consuming glues and of course your clothes that may contain starches from glues, foods, etc. Silverfish often enter homes via the roof and walls cavities and they love damp humid environments, so be sure to keep areas well ventilated.

You will know when you have them, they leave itching bite marks all over your body. And once in your bed they could also be in your closet and clothes. Don’t take the chance with bedbugs, as their bites can cause wheals (red bite marks) on your arms, shoulders or back. Signs that you have Bedbugs include blood spotting, faecal marks, and egg cases on mattresses. If you travel regularly (especially internationally), then common places that you could bring them back from are infested motels, backpacker hostels, or hotels.

You will hear them scratching up and down your walls and ceiling. Do NOT ignore them as they move in for the warmth and to breed their young ones. Rodents have no respect for humans, and it is estimated that their population in Australia is the same as for people. Species in Melbourne  include the Roof rat, Norway rat and the common House mouse. Rats and mice are so closely linked to humans that they are called domestic rodents and that is why our human supplies are also their basic needs: food, shelter, and water.

Fleas will live indoors or outdoors and they will feast on you, your children, and your pets. The bites will leave you itching, irritated and scratching for days. Fleas respond to vibration when you enter the room and they start jumping as they sense a possible someone to target. The eggs of a flea are tiny, white, and oval-shaped, and the female flea can lay up to 600 eggs in her lifetime. So be sure to eradicate them in their tracks.

Known as a stored product or textile pest, there are various types such as the Angoumois grain moth, Indian meal moth, Mediterranean flour moth, Warehouse moth, Clothes moth, and the Case-bearing clothes moth. Most people are repelled by moths as they spread their powder around and can be hard to catch. The female can lay between 100 – 700 eggs in and among food sources and they usually fasten their eggs to the infested material. The eggs usually hatch in 3 – 5 days so be sure to get rid of moths as soon as you can.