The house, annotated

Where pests turn up in a Hunter house

Most people never see the pest. They see the sign: droppings under the sink, scratching in the ceiling, mud on a brick pier. Pick the house that looks most like yours, then check the numbered spots. Each one tells you what tends to live there, the sign you would actually see, and what to do about it.

FIG. ATerrace or semi FIG. BBrick and tile FIG. CWeatherboard on piers FIG. DBush edge and coastal

FIG. A, inner-city terrace or semi, sectionCooks Hill · The Hill · Hamilton · Islington

Spot 01, roof void

Scratching after dark

What tends to live here: Black rats. They run terrace rows roof to roof and nest in the insulation.
The sign: Scratching or a fast scurry across the ceiling at night, droppings along the top plates.
What it means: Rats rarely stay in one roof. In a row of terraces the whole run is connected, so baiting one void without proofing moves the problem, not out of it.

Get this looked at

Spot 02, party wall

Noise or roaches in the shared wall

What tends to live here: German cockroaches and mice use the cavity as a highway between houses.
The sign: Roaches appearing near skirting gaps and power points, droppings behind the fridge, noise in the wall itself.
What it means: A shared wall means a shared problem. Treatment that ignores the cavity keeps getting reinfested from next door.

Get this looked at

Spot 03, subfloor

Damp timber over a shallow subfloor

What tends to live here: Termites. Inner-Newcastle subfloors sit shallow and damp, and damp timber is the dinner bell.
The sign: Mud leads on brick piers, springy or hollow-sounding boards, a musty smell through the floor.

If you have found mud leads or hollow timber, do not disturb it. Leave the area alone and book a licensed inspection. Breaking the workings open makes the colony harder to trace.

Book an inspection

Spot 04, kitchen

Small roaches near the kettle

What tends to live here: German cockroaches, drawn to warmth, moisture and crumbs behind appliances.
The sign: Small pale roaches at night around the sink and kettle, pepper-like droppings in cutlery drawers.
What it means: By the time you see them in daylight the population behind the kickboards is established. Gel baiting works, spraying the bench does not.

Get this looked at

Spot 05, upstairs wet area

Silverfish and moisture pests

What tends to live here: Silverfish in old plaster walls and stored boxes, plus the odd spider in cornices.
The sign: Silvery insects in the bath or bookshelf, irregular holes in paper and fabric.
What it means: Usually a humidity story more than an infestation. Persistent numbers are worth treating alongside the rest of the house.

Get this looked at

Spot 06, courtyard garden

The garden bed against the rear wall

What tends to live here: Ants nesting against warm brickwork, and termites where garden soil sits above the damp course.
The sign: Ant trails into weep holes, soil or mulch piled against the wall itself.

Soil above the weep holes bridges the wall for termites. Worth an inspection before it is worth a treatment.

Book an inspection

Spot 07, fence and gate

Old timber on the boundary

What tends to live here: Redback spiders behind palings and rails. Termites in aged fence posts.
The sign: Messy tangled webs low to the ground, posts that crumble at soil level.
What it means: A termite-eaten fence is feeding a colony within striking distance of the house. It is a warning worth acting on, not just a fencing job.

Get this looked at

FIG. B, brick and tile, sectionNew Lambton · Kotara · Charlestown · Warners Bay

Spot 01, roof void

The warmest room in the house

What tends to live here: Rats and mice in winter, paper wasps under the tile overhang, possums where a tile has slipped.
The sign: Night noise, chewed wiring insulation, a heavy thump at dusk if it is a possum.
What it means: Rodents and possums need different answers. Possums are protected, so the fix is proofing the entry, never baiting.

Get this looked at

Spot 02, wall cavity

The gap between brick and frame

What tends to live here: Mice running the cavity, ants nesting in it, and termites moving up it unseen.
The sign: Ants emerging from weep holes, scratching in the wall, bubbling paint on internal walls.

Bubbling or rippled plaster can be termites working behind the paint. Do not open it up. Book a licensed inspection first.

Book an inspection

Spot 03, subfloor

Piers, bearers and still air

What tends to live here: Termites. A brick-and-tile subfloor with blocked vents stays damp, and damp timber is an invitation.
The sign: Mud leads climbing the piers, frass, floors that dip near walls.

Mud leads on piers are termite workings. Do not knock them off. Book a licensed inspection and leave them for the inspector to read.

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Spot 04, kitchen

Behind the kickboards

What tends to live here: German cockroaches and black ants working the gap between cabinet and wall.
The sign: Roaches at night, ant trails to the pantry, droppings in the corners of drawers.
What it means: Gel baiting in the harbourage beats anything sprayed on a benchtop. The kickboards come off, the problem goes with them.

Get this looked at

Spot 05, laundry

Water, warmth and quiet corners

What tends to live here: Cockroaches around floor wastes, silverfish in stored linen, spiders behind the tub.
The sign: Large roaches after rain, webbing in corners, silverfish in the bottom of the basket.
What it means: The laundry connects drains, roof and wall spaces. It is where a general treatment earns its keep.

Get this looked at

Spot 06, garden bed

Mulch against the brickwork

What tends to live here: Termites under deep mulch, funnel-ants in the lawn edge, redbacks under pots.
The sign: Mulch or soil sitting over the weep holes, ant mounds, webbing under pot rims.

A garden bed sitting higher than the weep holes hands termites a hidden bridge into the wall. An inspection reads it properly.

Book an inspection

Spot 07, fence line

Palings, posts and the neighbour's side

What tends to live here: Redbacks behind palings, termites in posts, rats running the fence top at night.
The sign: Low messy webs, posts soft at ground level, droppings along the rail.
What it means: The fence is the highway and the early warning. Soft posts near the house deserve the same attention as the house itself.

Get this looked at

FIG. C, weatherboard on piers, sectionMayfield · Maitland · Stockton · Wallsend

Spot 01, roof void

Old timber, warm and dry

What tends to live here: Rats and mice moving in each autumn, paper wasps at the gable vents.
The sign: Scratching at night, droppings on stored boxes, wasps working a hole in the eaves.
What it means: Federation roof voids are open plan for a rat. Baiting works, but proofing the entry points is what makes it stick.

Get this looked at

Spot 02, wall framing

The boards tell on the frame

What tends to live here: Termites working the studs behind the weatherboards. Mice through every gap a century opens up.
The sign: A board that sounds papery when tapped, paint that ripples in a line, tiny exit holes with frass.

Hollow-sounding boards mean the frame may already be involved. Do not pull boards off. Book a licensed inspection.

Book an inspection

Spot 03, underfloor

The best inspection access in the Hunter

What tends to live here: Termites building leads up piers, rodents nesting in the dark, redbacks on the pier faces.
The sign: Mud leads on piers or stumps, droppings, webbing between bearers.

A raised floor is easy to inspect properly, which is the good news. Mud on a pier is still a do-not-touch. Book the inspection.

Book an inspection

Spot 04, kitchen

A century of gaps

What tends to live here: Mice through floor and wall gaps, cockroaches behind old cabinetry.
The sign: Droppings along the back of the bench, food packets chewed at the corner, roaches at night.
What it means: In an older kitchen the entry points matter as much as the bait. Sealing gaps is half the treatment.

Get this looked at

Spot 05, verandah

Deck boards and post bases

What tends to live here: Termites at the post bases, redbacks under the boards, ants nesting in the joists.
The sign: A post going soft at the concrete, sponginess underfoot, webs between the boards.

Verandah posts touch the ground closer than any other timber in the house. Soft at the base means inspect now, not next year.

Book an inspection

Spot 06, yard drip line

Where the water lands

What tends to live here: After a wet stretch on the floodplain, rodents surge out of paddocks and reserves into dry roof voids.
The sign: Runs worn in the grass along the house, burrow openings near downpipes.
What it means: Maitland's rodent pressure is seasonal and real. The month after heavy rain is the month to get ahead of it.

Get this looked at

Spot 07, shed and fence

The quiet buildings out back

What tends to live here: Redbacks in the shed corners, rats under the floor, termites in sleepers and stored timber.
The sign: Messy webs behind stored gear, chewed seed bags, timber stacked on soil going hollow.
What it means: Stored timber on soil is a termite feeding station. Get it up on bearers and get the shed included in the treatment.

Get this looked at

FIG. D, bush edge and coastal, sectionFletcher · Wallsend · Medowie · Anna Bay

Spot 01, roof space

Tight, warm and rarely opened

What tends to live here: Rodents in from the reserve each autumn, wasps at the ridge vents.
The sign: Scratching over bedrooms at night, insulation pulled into nest balls.
What it means: Bush-fringe rodent pressure is constant, not a bad year. Proofing the roofline is the long-term answer.

Get this looked at

Spot 02, wall cavity

Modern walls still have gaps

What tends to live here: Ants nesting in the frame, mice where services enter, the odd huntsman overwintering.
The sign: Ant trails at the meter box and pipe penetrations, scratching low in the wall.
What it means: Service penetrations are the front door. Sealing them is cheap and permanent.

Get this looked at

Spot 03, slab edge

The line termites have to cross

What tends to live here: Termites. On a slab home the exposed slab edge is the inspection zone, and covering it hides their entry.
The sign: Mud packing over the slab edge, paths or paving built up over it, rippling in skirting boards inside.

If the slab edge is buried by garden or paving, termites can enter unseen. Do not dig it out yourself over live mud leads. Book a licensed inspection.

Book an inspection

Spot 04, kitchen

New house, same kitchen story

What tends to live here: German cockroaches arrive in boxes and bags, not through gaps. New estates get them too.
The sign: Small roaches around the dishwasher and fridge motor at night.
What it means: An established German cockroach population is a baiting job with a follow-up, whatever the age of the house.

Get this looked at

Spot 05, garage and store

Boxes, gaps under doors, quiet corners

What tends to live here: Redbacks behind stored gear, mice under the roller door, spiders in the track.
The sign: Messy webs low behind boxes, chewed cardboard, egg sacs like small cream marbles.
What it means: Redbacks near kids' bikes and gardening gloves are the real household risk. A treatment covers the garage, not just the house.

Get this looked at

Spot 06, mulch at the slab

Garden design versus termite sense

What tends to live here: Termites forage under deep, damp mulch laid against the house.
The sign: Mulch piled above the slab edge or weep holes, termites in the mulch itself when turned.

Termites in garden mulch near the house call for an inspection of the house, not just a rake. Book it before treating anything.

Book an inspection

Spot 07, deck and landscape timber

Where the yard meets the bush

What tends to live here: Termites in retaining walls, sleepers and deck posts. Spiders along the vegetation line.
The sign: Sleepers going papery, mud between deck boards and posts, webs strung at dusk.

Landscape timber is often the first thing eaten on a bush block. If it is active, the house needs a licensed inspection too.

Book an inspection

What this page can tell you, and what it cannot

These spots are the pattern of thousands of Hunter houses, and the pattern is reliable. But no page can confirm what is in yours. Anything termite-shaped gets one answer everywhere on this site: leave it undisturbed and have a licensed technician inspect it properly. Everything else starts the same way, with you telling us what you have seen.

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