• Bites and stings

    If you or a family member has been bitten or stung, the injury can be serious. It’s important to know what to do.

  • Bed bugs

    If you’re waking up feeling itchy, bed bugs may be the problem.

  • Cockroaches

    Cockroaches are a common household pest in New Zealand. They thrive in unhealthy environments and can transmit a number of diseases.

  • Dangerous spiders

    Only some spiders are capable of biting humans. There are 3 species of spider to avoid - the katipō, the redback and the white-tailed spider.

  • Fleas

    Fleas are mostly a public health nuisance, but have the potential to be a public health risk due to their ability to transmit infectious diseases.

  • Lice

    Lice are commonly referred to as ‘nits’, which are in fact louse eggs. While lice are a public health nuisance, they are not a public health risk.

  • Mosquitoes

    In NZ, mosquitoes are a nuisance. But mosquitoes from overseas can spread serious diseases.

  • Controlling rats and mice

    No-one wants pests around. Rodents like rats and mice are a nuisance – and they can even be a source of disease.

  • Sandflies

    The sandfly species in New Zealand are a nuisance, but they are not a public health risk, as the kinds that bite do not carry infectious diseases.

  • Ticks

    Ticks have the potential to pose public health and biosecurity risks because they can carry and transmit human and animal diseases.

  • Pest control

    The following chart shows prevention, control and treatment measures to use with different pests.