What's different in Medowie
Campvale and Moffats swamps
NSW SES says Medowie's flood risk comes from Campvale and Moffats swamps. Water that sits around after rain is what mosquitoes want, and you can't drain a swamp, so the job is the water on your own block.
A drinking water catchment
Hunter Water says parts of Medowie are in the direct catchment of Grahamstown Dam, the Hunter's largest drinking water storage. Runoff from that catchment feeds the dam, so nothing from the shed goes down the drain.
Forest at the edges
That catchment also takes in forested land and small farms north of the dam. NSW Health says ticks are common in bushland and long grass on the east coast, and advises staying out of those areas, especially after rain.
Koala records
A 2018 NSW committee report names Medowie-Tilligerry as one of two koala sub-populations providing most records in the region. Koalas and possums are protected native mammals, so neither's a pest job.
What that means around the house
Mosquitoes first. Tip out buckets, tyres and pot bases once a week, keep the gutters running and check your fly screens. A technician can treat where they rest in the yard, but won't change a swamp.
Possums next. If something's thumping overhead, NSW guidance suggests watching at dusk for it leaving, because a possum in the roof calls for proofing, and any catch and release needs a licence. See possums in Newcastle.
Rats and mice, termites and wasps are the same jobs here as anywhere else in the Hunter, and those go to a pest business.
You, or a pest business?
You can
- Empty what's holding water, weekly.
- Keep long grass down near the house, and check for ticks after time in the bush.
- Keep firewood stacked up off the soil.
- Store garden and shed products well away from drains.
Leave to a pest business
- Wasp nests. Keep clear of them and keep the dog back.
- Rodents in the roof or walls.
- Termite inspections and treatment, with a written report.
- Possum proofing, and catch and release under licence where it's needed.
If we were on a Medowie block
We'd spend a weekend on the yard before summer: water tipped out, grass down, gutters clear. If you've got something in the roof, work out what it is first. Then tap it, with 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.
