Who to call for what
A pest controller handles insects, termites, rats and wasps. Possums, snakes and bees are protected or someone else's, and deer and rabbits have programs and duties of their own.
We connect you with a local pest controller who works in the Yarra Valley.
Ask for a quoteYellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve. Photo: Mike Prince, CC BY 2.0
.jpg){kind=link}
A pest controller
Insects and spiders in and around the house, termites, rats and mice, and wasp nests on your own land. None of the councils here removes a wasp nest from private land. Yarra Ranges says to use a professional, and Manningham a licensed pest controller.
Checking a licence says what to look for.
Checked 25 October 2026 against Department of Health: pest control legislation, Yarra Ranges Council: bees and wasps, Manningham Council: native animals and insects and Maroondah City Council: pest control.
Possums: you, or a wildlife controller
Both possums are protected under the Wildlife Act. A brushtail may be caught in a trap that won't hurt it and released the same day on the same property, within 50 m of where it was caught; taking it further is not allowed. Trapping a ringtail needs a permit. Possums in the roof covers keeping them out.
Checked 25 October 2026 against Victorian Government: brushtail possum management methods, Manningham Council: native animals and insects and Victorian Government: Authorities to Control Wildlife 2025.
Snakes: a licensed snake catcher
Snakes are protected, and it is illegal to catch, harm or kill one. A licensed snake controller removes them, at your cost; the state's customer service line, 136 186, gives a list for your area. Yarra Ranges Council doesn't remove snakes, even from public land.
Checked 25 October 2026 against DELWP: Living with snakes fact sheet (2021) and Yarra Ranges Council: snakes.
Bees: a beekeeper
A honeybee swarm is a beekeeper's job, and Yarra Ranges says most will take one for a small fee or sometimes free. Councils point people to beekeepers.
Checked 25 October 2026 against Yarra Ranges Council: bees and wasps, Maroondah City Council: pest control and Manningham Council: native animals and insects.
Deer: the council's deer program
Deer have been reported in the Yarra Valley for about ten years. A state plan for the peri-urban east and north of Melbourne covers public and private land. Yarra Ranges has run a state-funded deer program since 2021. It lists reporting sightings through DeerScan, a professional harvester, a volunteer shooter and exclusion fencing, and its deer program officer is on 1300 368 333. Ask the deer program officer before acting.
Checked 25 October 2026 against Victorian Government: Peri-urban Deer Control Plan and Yarra Ranges Council: deer.
Rabbits: the landowner
Under the Catchment and Land Protection Act, a landowner must take all reasonable steps to stop established pest animals spreading and, as far as possible, get rid of them.
Checked 25 October 2026 against Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), s.20 (authorised version 072).
Ask for a quote
Tell us where you are and what needs doing, and we'll contact you as soon as possible.