Adelaide’s Mediterranean climate — hot dry summers, cool wet winters — shapes which pests thrive here and when. Activity peaks through spring and summer, with a distinct autumn wave as the first decent rains arrive.

Here are the ten that come up most often in local homes, roughly in order of how much they should concern you.

1. Subterranean termites

The most financially serious pest on this list by a wide margin. Coptotermes acinaciformis causes more damage to Australian homes than any other species, works entirely out of sight, and is generally excluded from home insurance policies. Annual professional inspections are the only reliable defence. If you find live termites, leave them undisturbed and call someone.

2. Coastal brown ants

Extremely common around Adelaide. They nest in the sand bedding beneath paving and in garden beds against the house, leaving small fans of excavated soil in paving joints. More a persistent nuisance than a danger, but they are relentless indoors and some related species will chew electrical insulation. Repellent sprays can cause colonies to bud into multiple nests, which makes the problem worse.

3. German cockroaches

Small, tan, twin-striped, and the hardest cockroach to eliminate. They live permanently indoors in warm damp harbourage — fridge motors, dishwasher cavities, kickboards — and their allergens are a documented asthma trigger, especially for children. Arrives most often in cardboard packaging and second-hand appliances.

4. Rats and mice

Black rats readily climb and take up residence in roof voids; brown rats favour drains and burrows; house mice get in through a gap the width of a pencil. Beyond contaminating food, their constant gnawing on wiring in roof spaces is a genuine fire risk, and their droppings and urine are a significant indoor allergen.

5. Redback spiders

Native and abundant. They favour dry, sheltered, undisturbed spots — letterboxes, under outdoor furniture, behind bins, in shed corners, in the folds of a tarp. Bites are painful and sometimes need medical care; antivenom has been available since the 1950s and there have been no confirmed Australian deaths since. Wear gloves when clearing sheds and garden clutter.

6. European wasps

Introduced and established in South Australia, and considerably more aggressive than bees when disturbed. They nest in ground cavities, retaining walls and wall voids, sting repeatedly, and scavenge meat and sweet drinks — hence their appearance at barbecues in late summer. Never attempt to treat or block a nest yourself.

7. Bed bugs

On the rise generally, and nothing to do with cleanliness — they travel in luggage and second-hand furniture. They do not transmit disease, but the sleep loss and anxiety they cause are substantial, and widespread insecticide resistance makes DIY treatment largely futile. Inspect mattress seams, bed frames and bedhead crevices for dark specks and small blood spots.

8. Portuguese millipedes

A distinctly South Australian frustration. This introduced species swarms in enormous numbers after autumn rains, is drawn to lights, and pours in under doors. Entirely harmless — it does not bite, sting or damage anything — but the sheer volume is genuinely unpleasant. Door seals, reduced outdoor lighting and clearing leaf litter and mulch near the house all help.

9. Fleas

The cat flea is the usual culprit on both cats and dogs. The important thing to understand is that the great majority of a flea population is eggs, larvae and pupae in carpet, bedding and subfloor dust rather than adults on the animal — which is why treating the pet alone does not resolve it. Pupae can also lie dormant and then emerge in numbers when a vacant house is reoccupied.

10. Flies

Easy to dismiss, but house flies and blowflies move organisms from waste onto food surfaces, and gastroenteritis is a real outcome. A cluster of blowflies indoors with no obvious source often means something has died in a wall cavity or roof void — commonly a rodent that took bait.

Which of these actually needs a professional?

Termites always. Wasp and bee nests always, for safety. German cockroaches and bed bugs, because DIY reliably fails against both. Rodents once they are in a roof or wall cavity. Ants, millipedes, fleas and flies are often manageable yourself with exclusion, moisture control and cleaning — and worth a call when that has not worked.

Not sure which category you are in? Request a quote or call 08 7095 6992 and describe what you have seen.