Chermside, street by street
The hills to the west
The Chermside Hills Reserves at Chermside West cover 129 hectares of open eucalypt forest, woodland and dry rainforest. Raven Street Reserve, home of the Downfall Creek Bushland Centre, is 33 hectares of that.
Who lives in the reserves
Brisbane City Council lists possums, gliders, swamp wallabies, water dragons and skinks. A house on the edge of that bush will hear from some of them, and most need nothing more than a tidy yard.
Dogs that find rats
The council says it uses trained rodent detection dogs to find where rodents gather or nest, in commercial areas and residential properties. That's the council's work; inside your home, the job is yours.
Overgrown yards
It's your responsibility to keep your property clear of overgrown or hazardous vegetation, the council says, and that includes vegetation that harbours rats and mice.
Why rats aren't worth waiting on
Brisbane City Council says rats can chew through doors, skirting boards, food containers and wiring. If you can hear them at night, find droppings or see grease marks along a wall, it's time to call someone.
A pest business will ask where you've heard them and when. Bait stations (locked boxes that hold rodent bait) or traps go where the activity is. Ask about re-checks, and tell them about kids and pets first.
Renting near the shops
In Queensland, the property manager or owner must keep a rental clear of pests when you move in and throughout the tenancy, unless your actions caused the problem. They can't make you use a specific pest service or product, or pay a set fee. Tell them about vermin as soon as you notice it.
Possums, termites and ants
If a possum's got into the roof, the Queensland rule is release within 25 metres of where it was caught, by someone with the right licence. Keep your focus on finding the gap.
For termites, the QBCC advises an inspection and report every year. Don't poke at mud tubes. And if you suspect fire ants at home or at work, report them to Biosecurity Queensland within 24 hours: that's the law, and no pest business should be your first call.
What you can do, and what to hand over
You can
- Keep bins closed and food sealed.
- Cut back overgrown corners of the yard.
- Bring pet food in at night.
- Photograph droppings or gnaw marks.
Leave to a pest business
- Finding how rats get in, and treating them.
- Cockroaches in kitchens and shared bin rooms.
- Termite inspections and possum proofing.
Where we'd start in Chermside
If you're near the shops, we'd deal with rats early, while it's one or two. If you're near the hills, work out what's on the roof before you pay anyone. Either way, tap what you've seen and your postcode.
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.
