What's different in Burwood
Gardiners Creek
Whitehorse describes Gardiners Creek Reserve as a large park that's mainly replanted land, with many birds and insects, and in 2024 reported that community groups would expand the green corridor there at Burwood. Corridors like this are good for wildlife, including the kind that finds its way into a roof.
Two possums and a glider
Whitehorse says three species are commonly found in the city: the brushtail possum, the ringtail possum and the sugar glider. Only brushtails can be trapped, by the householder or a licensed wildlife controller, and they must be released the same day on the same property, within 50 metres of the capture site.
Picking a European wasp
Whitehorse says they have yellow and black bodies and yellow legs, where a honey bee's legs are black. Nests look like grey cardboard, usually about the size of a football, and reach their maximum size in autumn.
A quiet nest can still sting
Stay well away from it, in any season. Wasps can sting more than once. Ring 000 if someone stung has a swollen tongue or throat, a wheeze or persistent cough, or dizziness.
If the nest is on a neighbour's block
Work out where they're going
European wasps can forage a long way from the nest, so watch from a distance before you knock on anyone's door.
Talk to the owner
Whitehorse says to tell the owner what you've noticed and point them to Council's wasp page.
Contact Council if it carries on
That's Whitehorse's next step if nothing changes. Nests on Council property are Council's to handle.
Buying in Burwood
A building certificate under Regulation 51(2) covers whether land is in an area where buildings are likely to be attacked by termites. That tells you about the area, not the house, so a timber pest inspection is still worth booking. A building inspection is a different profession, and it's a separate booking.
If it were our yard in Burwood
We'd find the nest before we did anything else, from a distance, and we wouldn't assume winter has finished it off. Once you know what you've got, tell us and add 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.
