What's different in Baulkham Hills
Bush reserves close to homes
The Hills Shire Council places Bidjigal Reserve at Baulkham Hills, with powerful owls, grey-headed flying foxes and water dragons to spot. Its Heritage Trail links smaller reserves such as Torry Burn and Alfred Henry Whaling. Houses near bushland may have termite nests nearby, the Australian Museum says, though those nests may not hold pest species.
Council won't chase termites for you
Its fact sheet says termites in parks, bushland reserves or on roadsides won't automatically prompt removal of the tree or colony. Council also doesn't accept responsibility for termite damage to private property, so protecting the house falls to the owner.
Pulling out the tree can backfire
The same sheet warns that removing a tree with termites may raise the chance of damage, because they go looking for new food, which may include timber around your home. A tree with termites isn't always compromised either, since they feed on the heartwood.
Check your council
The Hills Shire Council's list dated 30 June 2022 shows Baulkham Hills as only partly within the Shire. Confirm which council covers your street before you ring about a tree or a reserve.
Building and pest inspection in Baulkham Hills
These are two separate reports. The building report is for a licensed builder, surveyor or architect, and NSW Government advice says it won't show whether termites and other timber pests are still around. The pest side needs its own inspection, and that's the part we can pass to a local business.
Ask for it early. The NSW cooling-off period runs for 5 business days after exchange and doesn't apply at auction, so if you're bidding, have the inspection done before the day.
The rest of the list
Beyond termites, Baulkham Hills deals with the same things as the rest of Sydney: rats in the roof, German cockroaches in kitchens and possums. Backyards near the bush also see wandering funnel-webs over summer and autumn, and a bite from any big black spider is a call to 000.
While you wait for the termite inspector
- Keep soil, mulch and garden beds away from weep holes and the edge of the slab.
- Fix leaking taps, hot water overflows and gutters near the walls.
- Move stacked timber and old sleepers away from the house.
- Leave any mud tubes or damaged timber exactly as they are. CSIRO says not to disturb them, because several control options rely on finding active termites.
If it were our place in Baulkham Hills
We'd put a termite inspection in the diary before doing anything about a tree or a stump. If you've already found something, leave it where it is, photograph it and tell us 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.
