Pest Prevention Checklist

How to use this checklist

Print this page or save it to your phone. Each task takes minutes, and together they remove most of the food, water, shelter and entry points pests rely on. For the reasoning behind each step in more depth, see how to pest-proof your home.

You don’t need to do everything at once. Start with the daily and weekly habits, which make the biggest difference for the least effort, then work through the seasonal tasks as the year turns. If you are dealing with an active problem rather than preventing one, jump to the section on signs it’s time for professional help at the end of this page.

Why simple habits work

Every common household pest needs the same four things: food, water, shelter and a way in. Cockroaches need crumbs, grease and moisture under sinks. Ants follow sugar and protein. Rodents need food, nesting material and a gap the size of a pen (mice) or a thumb (rats). Mosquitoes need only a bottle cap of standing water for about a week.

Chemicals kill the pests that are present, but if the conditions stay the same, new pests arrive to fill the gap. Habits and small repairs change the conditions, which is why they keep working long after a spray would have worn off. They are also cheap, safe around children and pets, and suitable for renters.

Daily

• Wipe benches, stovetops and splashbacks after cooking, and sweep up crumbs.
• Put food away before bed, including pet food. Don’t leave dishes in the sink overnight.
• Take kitchen scraps to a lidded bin or compost caddy and keep the lid closed.
• Keep fly screens and screen doors closed, especially from dusk.
• Hang up wet towels and keep bathrooms ventilated to reduce the damp that silverfish and cockroaches like.

Why it matters: German cockroaches and ants forage at night, so a clean kitchen at bedtime removes their main food supply. See why cockroaches are in my kitchen.

Weekly

• Tip out water from pot saucers, buckets, toys, tarps and wheelbarrows.
• Run water into spare drains, floor wastes and unused showers so traps don’t dry out.
• Empty bins and rinse recycling, and wash out the kitchen bin if it smells.
• Vacuum floors, under furniture and along skirting boards.
• Wipe out the microwave, toaster crumb tray and the area around the kettle.
• Change pet water bowls and birdbaths.

Why it matters: mosquito larvae can develop into adults in about a week in warm weather, so a weekly tip-out breaks the cycle before it finishes. Dry drain traps let cockroaches and drain flies come up from the sewer. See how to reduce mosquitoes around your home.

Monthly

• Check fly screens and door seals for tears and gaps.
• Clean behind the fridge and under the stove, where grease and crumbs build up.
• Clean kitchen and bathroom drains with a brush to remove the slime that drain flies breed in.
• Brush down webs around eaves, windows and outdoor lights.
• Look for droppings in cupboards, the garage and the shed.
• Check the pantry: use older food first, and look for webbing, moths or beetles in flour, rice and pet food.
• Check pet flea prevention is up to date.

Why it matters: pantry moths and weevils often arrive in a single packet and spread from there. Catching them early means throwing out one packet rather than the whole cupboard. See how to get rid of pantry pests.

Spring

• Check eaves, pergolas and shrubs for new wasp nests while they are small.
• Clear gutters before storm season so they can’t hold water.
• Re-seal gaps where ants trailed last year.
• Move mulch, soil and garden beds back from walls so there is a clear, dry strip.
• Check rainwater tanks have intact mesh screens and sealed lids.
• In fire ant areas of South East Queensland, walk the yard looking for new mounds. See fire ants in South East Queensland.

Why it matters: ant and wasp colonies grow quickly as temperatures rise, and the first storms trigger mosquito breeding in blocked gutters and tanks.

Summer

• Check containers, gutters and plants that hold water after every storm.
• Reduce outdoor lighting near doors, or switch to warm-coloured globes that attract fewer insects.
• Keep screens closed at dusk and dawn, when many mosquitoes bite.
• Cover food and drinks outdoors, and clean up after barbecues.
• Bag and seal food scraps and nappies before they go in the wheelie bin.
• Watch lawns for patches that brown suddenly, which can indicate armyworm. See how to know if you have armyworm.

Why it matters: summer is peak season for cockroaches, flies, mosquitoes and ants in most of Australia, and storms push many pests indoors. See pest activity after rain.

Autumn

• Trim trees and vines back from the roof and walls.
• Seal roof and wall gaps before rodents move in for the cooler months.
• Store firewood off the ground and away from the house.
• Store pet food, bird seed and chicken feed in sealed metal or heavy plastic bins.
• Pick up fallen fruit and nuts in the garden.

Why it matters: rats and mice look for warm, sheltered nest sites as nights cool, and overhanging branches are their highway onto the roof. See how to make your property less attractive to rats.

Winter

• Listen for noises in ceilings at night.
• Check the roof void for droppings, chewed material and daylight through gaps.
• Declutter storage areas where silverfish and rodents shelter, and swap cardboard boxes for sealed plastic tubs.
• Plan any sealing or roof repairs before spring.
• Book any inspection you have been putting off, such as a timber pest inspection.

Why it matters: winter is the quietest time for most insects, which makes it the easiest time to fix the gaps and clutter that will matter next summer. See what the noise in my ceiling at night is.

Moving into a new home

A move is the best chance you will get to start pest-free, because cupboards are empty and furniture is out of the way.

• Before unpacking, vacuum and wipe out every cupboard, drawer and pantry shelf.
• Look for droppings, cockroach egg cases and dead insects under sinks, behind appliance spaces and in the garage.
• Run water into every drain and check the floor wastes have water in them.
• Check that screens fit and door seals close properly.
• Inspect second-hand furniture, especially beds and couches, for bed bugs before bringing it inside. See how to know if you have bed bugs.
• Unpack the kitchen into clean containers rather than leaving food in moving boxes.

If you are renting and find signs of pests at the start of a tenancy, note them on your entry condition report with photos.

Before and after holidays

• Empty the kitchen bin and the fridge of anything that will spoil.
• Put all dry food into sealed containers.
• Tip out standing water and turn buckets and toys upside down.
• Put a plug or a little cling film over unused drains, or ask someone to run the taps.
• After travel, unpack luggage in the laundry or on a hard floor, check seams for bed bugs, and wash clothes on a hot cycle.

Why it matters: a house left for two weeks in summer can develop a mosquito, fly or ant problem from a single forgotten source.

For pet owners

• Keep pets on year-round flea prevention recommended by your vet.
• Wash pet bedding weekly on a hot cycle and vacuum where pets sleep.
• Feed pets at set times and pick up uneaten food, especially overnight.
• Store dry pet food in a sealed bin, not the open bag.
• Pick up dog droppings daily to reduce flies.
• Before using any pest product, check the label for pet warnings. See is pest control safe for dogs.

For renters and apartment residents

• Report pests to your property or building manager early, in writing, with photos and dates.
• Seal gaps under the sink and around pipes with a removable product if you can’t make permanent changes.
• Fit a draught stopper or door sweep to the corridor door.
• Tip out balcony pot saucers weekly.
• Use bin chutes and rubbish rooms as the building directs, and never leave bags in corridors.

In connected buildings, pests often come from neighbouring units, so cooperating with the building is part of the solution. See pests in apartment buildings.

For older, high-set and Queenslander homes

• Keep the area under the house clear and dry, with stored items off the ground and away from stumps.
• Check stumps, steps and lattice for mud tubes and timber damage.
• Check ant caps on stumps are intact and not bridged by soil, timber or stored items.
• Look for gaps in floorboards, around plumbing and where extensions meet the original house.

See pests in Queenslander homes.

Signs it’s time for professional help

Prevention handles most everyday pests, but call a licensed pest manager or the right authority if you notice:

• small cockroaches or nymphs indoors, which points to a breeding German cockroach population;
• ongoing rodent activity in the roof or walls after trapping and sealing;
• bites in bed, blood spots on sheets or live bugs in mattress seams;
• a wasp nest near a door, play area or inside a wall;
• mud tubes, damaged timber or swarming winged insects indoors, which could be termites;
• suspected fire ants in Queensland, which should be reported to the National Fire Ant Eradication Program rather than treated.

If you use any product yourself, read the label and follow it exactly; this is a legal requirement. If you would like help working out what to do, tell PestMan what’s happening.

Answers related to this guide

• How Do I Stop Ants Entering My House?
• How Do I Reduce Mosquitoes Around My Home?
• How Do I Make My Property Less Attractive to Rats?
• Why Are Cockroaches in My Kitchen?
• How Do I Get Rid of Pantry Pests?
• Why Are There Tiny Flies Coming From My Drain?

Pests in this guide