The ground under Browns Plains
Water holes made by sand mining
Logan City Council says sand mining created a string of artificial water holes along Scrubby Creek. The Berrinba wetlands, on the same creek's floodplain, are also man-made, from sand and mining operations after World War II. Still water is what mosquitoes need.
Where the creek goes
Scrubby Creek runs from Greenbank in the west to Meadowbrook in the east, then into Slacks Creek and on to the Logan River.
Timber country
An 1876 description called the area heavily timbered with light and sandy soil, and timber getting carried on into the 1950s and 1960s. It's since been divided into suburbs such as Regents Park, Hillcrest and Heritage Park, so give us your postcode rather than the old name.
Nest boxes nearby
The council has placed 100 nesting boxes for birds, possums and gliders in the Berrinba wetlands. Possums are part of this landscape, and a roof is just another hollow to them.
Scampering overhead at night
Coughs, hisses and running feet after dark point to a brushtail, which uses a roof as a dry place to sleep. Possums are protected in Queensland, so don't trap or bait one.
A person with the right licence can catch it, as long as it's released within 25 metres of the spot. Without the gap fixed, state advice is that another possum tends to replace it. Our possum page explains proofing.
Termites and rats at home
The council's termite list is worth doing: no gardens against the walls, no firewood against the house, and repairs to any leaking pipes. Termites can forage up to 80 metres from the nest, so a stump near the fence still counts. If you uncover mud tubes, leave them in place.
With rats, look for droppings along walls and gnaw marks near food. A pest business will want to know where you've heard them, and when. If you're renting, tell the property manager or owner as soon as vermin appear: Queensland's minimum housing standards cover it unless the tenant caused it.
Before anyone treats an odd ant nest
A nest that looks like loose, disturbed soil in the lawn could be fire ants. Keep the kids off it, and report it to Biosecurity Queensland. Queensland gives you 24 hours, and it isn't a job for our form.
A wet season walk around the yard
- Tip out buckets, tyres, tarps and anything else holding water.
- Fill low spots that hold water, if they're small and on your block.
- Clear palm fronds and keep gutters running.
- Note any gaps near the roofline, for the possum question.
Where we'd start with pests in Browns Plains
Fix the water and the gaps first, because both are easy wins you control. Then call in a pest business for anything living in the roof or walls. If it's a possum, ask for proofing as well as the catch.
Want someone to look at it?
Tell us what you've seen and your postcode, and a local pest business that handles exactly that calls you to talk it through.
