Bush and river around Nerang
If your block backs onto bush
Nerang National Park covers 1,659 hectares of the Gold Coast council area. Where a yard runs into bush, expect possums along the roofline and a busier garden at night.
Ticks
NSW Health says ticks are common in bushland and long grass along the east coast, especially after rain. Its pathology service says the paralysis tick is most likely to be met in its dangerous adult form from September to December, so check dogs after a bush walk.
Snakes are a snake catcher's job
They're protected in Queensland, and City of Gold Coast doesn't deal with snakes on private property. Save a licensed snake catcher's number now. If one gets inside, close the internal doors, open the outside ones and give it a chance to leave.
The river
The Nerang River runs about 36 km from the Hinze Dam wall to its tidal limit at Weedons Crossing. After heavy rain, water lies wherever it can on low ground, and that's when mosquitoes get going.
Fire ants
Reporting suspected fire ants is a legal duty in Queensland: tell Biosecurity Queensland within 24 hours of seeing them. No pest booking comes before that call.
Bitten in the bush
For a snake bite, call 000, apply a pressure bandage and keep the person still. Don't wash the bite, and don't try to catch the snake. A severe allergic reaction to a tick or a sting is also a 000 call.
What Nerang homes usually need
Termites are the job we'd never put off. Business Queensland says subterranean termites occur throughout the state, and they travel inside enclosed mud galleries. In a CSIRO survey of homes with termites, 86% noticed damaged wood and 34% noticed mud tubes, so that's what to look for. Leave anything you find alone until it's been inspected.
A possum in the roof means catch and release within 25 metres by a licensed commercial operator, then closing the gap. The council doesn't do this one, and points residents to private contractors.
If you're buying, a building and pest inspection in Nerang is two licences: a residential building inspector for the structure, and a pest licence for the termite half. One person can do both only if they hold both.
Your side of the fence, and theirs
You can
- Keep grass short along the back fence and around sheds.
- Stack firewood off the ground and away from the walls.
- Bring pet food in at night, and keep bin lids shut.
- Check your dog's coat and ears after every bush walk from September to December.
Leave to a pest business
- Termite inspection, treatment and any follow up visit.
- Possum catch and release, then proofing the roofline.
- Rats and mice in the roof or walls.
If it were our Nerang place
We'd keep the termite inspection current, keep the grass short along the bush line, and put a snake catcher's number in the phone today. For anything inside the house, 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.
