Advice
Pest advice for Auckland households and landlords
Written to answer a specific question properly rather than to fill a page. Identification, bed bugs and their bites, fleas, borer and termites in timber, spider bites, katipō and cluster flies, tenancy obligations, why some common approaches backfire, and where the real safety risks sit.
Argentine ants in Auckland: how to tell, and what actually works
How to tell Argentine ants from other Auckland ants, why their supercolonies refill a cleared house, when they peak, and what works against them.
Read this AntsHow to get rid of ants in the house
A practical order of work for ants in the kitchen, in the walls or nesting inside the house: find where they come in, bait them properly, then seal the gap.
Read this AntsDoes ant bait work, and which kind should you use?
Which ant bait suits which ant: gel, liquid, granules and bait stations compared for New Zealand homes, why bait beats spray, and when DIY stops working.
Read this IdentificationTypes of ants in New Zealand, and how to tell which one you have
The ants in New Zealand homes and gardens by size, colour, smell and trail, which ones bite, why white ants are really termites, and what to do about fire ants.
Read this IdentificationIs the borer in your house still active?
Most older Auckland houses have borer holes. How to tell live borer from old damage by the dust and the hole edges, and what it means if you are buying one.
Read this DIY treatmentTreating borer yourself, and what each product actually reaches
What borer bombs, surface sprays, hole injectors and home remedies such as vinegar or kerosene can reach inside timber, and when treating borer yourself is enough.
Read this FurnitureBorer in furniture, and how to keep the piece
How to tell whether borer in a chair, dresser or antique is still active, which beetle made the holes, and how injection, freezing and refinishing deal with it.
Read this Timber pestsBorer or termites?
Borer and termites both hollow out timber, but the dust, the holes and the next step differ. How to tell them apart in a New Zealand house, and when to call MPI.
Read this IdentificationDoes New Zealand have termites, and is that what you have found?
Yes, New Zealand has native termites, but most Auckland finds are flying ants or borer. How to tell them apart, and when a find has to go to MPI.
Read this IdentificationWhat is in my ceiling?
What the noise in your ceiling at night is, from its timing, sound and droppings, and how rats are got out of an Auckland roof space, with or without poison.
Read this BitesIs it a bed bug bite?
How bed bug bites look on the skin, why they show up in lines days later, how they differ from flea and mosquito bites, and when to see a doctor.
Read this Flea bitesFlea bites on humans: what they look like and what to do
How to recognise flea bites on people, why they are nearly always on the ankles, simple first aid, when to see a doctor, and how to find the fleas causing them.
Read this TenancyWho pays for pest control in a rental?
Whether the landlord or the tenant pays for pest control in a New Zealand rental, what the Residential Tenancies Act requires, and what decides borderline cases.
Read this InspectionHow to check for bed bugs, at home and away
How to check a bed, a bedroom or a hotel room for bed bugs: the spots, skins and eggs to look for, where they hide, and what to do after a trip away.
Read this IdentificationIdentifying bed bugs in New Zealand, from egg to adult
Bed bugs in New Zealand, described precisely: sizes in millimetres for eggs, nymphs and adults, what they get confused with, and how they reach Auckland homes.
Read this FleasDo flea bombs work?
What a flea bomb actually reaches, why it misses the cocoon stage and everything under the furniture, how to set one off safely, and what to do instead.
Read this FleasHow to get rid of fleas in the house
A step by step plan for fleas in carpet, beds and sofas: the order that works, which sprays and powders are worth buying, and natural options honestly assessed.
Read this FleasSigns of fleas in the house, and what flea eggs and flea dirt look like
How to confirm fleas before you treat: the white sock test, what flea dirt, eggs and larvae look like in millimetres, and why fleas turn up in houses with no pets.
Read this AntsWhy ant spray makes it worse
Repellent ant sprays cause colony budding, which splits one nest into several. Here is what is actually happening and what to do instead.
Read this AntsDo natural ant remedies actually work?
Which natural ant remedies work in New Zealand homes: borax and sugar bait, vinegar, cinnamon and diatomaceous earth, and why Argentine ants shrug most of them off.
Read this CockroachesWhat does a cockroach nest look like?
Cockroaches do not build nests, they gather in warm cracks. What a German cockroach harbourage looks like, where it hides in a kitchen or wall, and what to do next.
Read this Wasps and beesWasp or bee? How to tell them apart
How to tell a wasp from a honey bee or bumblebee in Auckland, and why a honey bee colony should go to a beekeeper rather than being destroyed.
Read this RatsRats in the house: the signs, and how to get rid of them
The signs of rats in the house, what rats in the walls or roof mean, telling rat droppings from mouse droppings, and how to get rid of rats for good.
Read this MiceHow to get rid of mice
How to get rid of mice in an Auckland house: confirm it is mice, trap where they run, seal the 6 mm gaps, and the 5 day mouse rule tested against the evidence.
Read this Traps and baitRat traps or bait: what works inside the house
Rat and mouse traps or bait for inside a New Zealand house: which trap type, where it goes, bait shyness, children and pets, and when to stop doing it yourself.
Read this SafetyIs rat bait safe for dogs and cats?
The real risk to dogs and cats from rat bait is secondary poisoning from a poisoned rodent. What that means for product choice, and what to do if your pet eats bait.
Read this PreventionRodent proofing: keeping rats and mice out for good
Rodent proofing an Auckland house: the 12 mm and 6 mm gaps that matter, which mesh and fillers rats cannot chew, and why repellents and ultrasonic plugs fail.
Read this Spider bitesDo white-tail spider bites really cause flesh damage?
Do white-tail spider bites cause necrosis? What the 130-bite study and the Christchurch Hospital review found, what a real bite does, and when it needs a doctor.
Read this Venomous spidersIs it a katipō? New Zealand's venomous spiders and their look-alike
How to tell New Zealand's two venomous widow spiders from the harmless false katipō, where each is found, why the katipō is protected, and what to do after a bite.
Read this Cluster fliesCluster flies in the house every autumn
Why slow cluster flies gather in sunny upstairs windows each autumn in New Zealand, where they spend the winter, and what actually reduces them the next year.
Read this Spider sprayingWhen to spray for spiders in New Zealand
The best months and weather to spray for spiders in New Zealand, which product types last on which surfaces, and the order to treat eaves, frames and fences.
Read thisStill not sure what you have?
Send a photograph of the insect, the droppings or the damage. Identifying it is our job and it costs you nothing.