Pest Control for Invasive Pests

While we mostly just deal with the creepy crawly, make-you-squeamish type of pests here at The Pest Guys, we’re always surprised at the unbelievable number of insects and animals that have been introduced to the Australian ecosystem and have become pests.

The dingo was one of the first introduced species to Australia, brought here around 4000 years ago by Asian seafarers. Fast-forward to 1788 and the subsequent years, where the arrival of the First Fleet to our golden soil resulted in numerous animal species introduced to Australia, for things such as farming, killing off pests and transportation. Some species may have even arrived here as stowaways on arriving ships.

Since then, many of these introduced plant and animal species have caused harm to our native fauna and flora. But never fear – we’ll share with you some of these pests we can – and can’t – take care of with our professional Pest Control in Perth!  

Pests We Can Take Care Of:

The Pest Guys are experts in rodent control, flea control and ant control, which is lucky considering some of the following introduced pests!

House Mice

It is likely that common house mice were introduced to Australia with the arrival of the First Fleet. These pests may have been stowaways on ships, who joined humans in acclimatising to a foreign land. Since their arrival, they have been anything but pleasant.

House Mice can cause damage in a number of ways:

1. Overpopulation – With the right climate and conditions, mice can reproduce at a rapid rate. On average, one female can give birth to up to 70 babies per year! This can result in mice numbers booming to plague proportions in a small space of time.
2. Spread of disease – Mice are great at spreading diseases, with the most common disease being salmonella; (learn more about mice and diseases).
3. Destruction of crops and equipment – Not even electrical equipment and wiring is safe from mice, who are known for gnawing away at grain crops, wires and even live chickens!

Fleas

These pests, particularly the oriental rat flea, are thought to have been one of the major carriers of the Bubonic Plague or “Black Death”, which killed around 25 million people across Europe in the mid 14^th Century during the first pandemic. A further eight deadly pandemics occurred from the Black Death.

While some species would have arrived with the European Settlers in the 1700’s, species such as the European Flea and Spanish Flea were deliberately introduced into Australia to control wild rabbit populations in 1969 and 1993 respectively. These fleas were used to spread the myxoma virus, by biting rabbits and infecting them.

The most common species of the flea in Australia is the “cat flea” and despite its name, this flea is responsible for irritating more than just cats, as it can cause irritation to humans and animals alike.

Red Fire Ants

These pests are native to South America, but they have made themselves known across the United States, some Asian countries and Australia, with the first reported detection of a Red Fire Ant in Brisbane in 2001.

One of the major reasons these pests are so damaging comes from their ability to form ‘super colonies’ – where there are multiple queens and the colony can spread quickly.

Red Fire Ants are also omnivorous, preying on plants, invertebrates and vertebrates; their feeding habits can cause major destruction to natural ecosystems.

Pesky, Problem Pests

Although we are professional pest controllers, some introduced pests are outside even The Pest Guys line of work.

• Foxes – Introduced for recreational hunting in the mid-1800s, these pests are now widespread across Australia and are known for killing off our native animals. Shooting, poisoning and fencing techniques are largely used to control their population.
• Feral Cats – These pests threaten the survival of over 100 native Australian species. Thanks to their scavenging nature, feral cats are also likely to spread diseases, which can infect humans, pets and native animals.
• Feral Rabbits – The First Fleet are responsible for bringing over domesticated rabbits, but feral rabbits were reported in Tasmania just under 40 years later. The West Australian Government famously built the 1700 kilometre rabbit-proof fence between 1901–1907, but in the current climate, feral rabbits are still a problem across the best part of WA. These pests compete with our native wildlife, and damage our environment and agriculture.
• Cane Toads – These toxic pests were, ironically, introduced as a pest-control technique! In 1935, Cane Toads were released in North Queensland in an attempt to control beetles that fed on sugar cane crops. However, as they have no natural predators, these pests have become a huge problem around Queensland, the north coast of New South Wales and the top end of the Northern Territory.

The Pest Guys will work with you to keep you and your family safe from rodents, fleas and ants with our professional and reliable pest control treatments. Contact The Pest Guys today to find out how we can help you.