What's different in Manly
An endangered neighbour
Northern Beaches Council says the long-nosed bandicoots at North Head are classified as an endangered population. They dig for grubs and garden pests, and those small conical holes are the sign they've been through.
Bait and glue traps
The same council says poison rat baits and sticky traps cause suffering to native wildlife. If you live near North Head or Manly Dam, tell the technician, and ask how they'd keep bait stations out of reach of wildlife.
Manly Dam
Manly Warringah War Memorial State Park supports 375ha of bushland. Council says brushtail and ringtail possums, bush rats and long-nosed bandicoots are commonly recorded there, so not everything small and furry near the bush is a pest.
Bandicoot or rat?
| Long-nosed bandicoot | Rat | |
|---|---|---|
| The sign | Small cone-shaped holes in the lawn or garden | Droppings, gnaw marks and greasy rub marks along walls |
| What it's after | Grubs and garden pests | Just about any food, plus shelter |
| Where you notice it | Outdoors, in the soil | Roof, walls and sheds, often heard at night |
| What to do | Nothing. It's wildlife doing a job for you | Clear food and gaps, then call a pest business if it keeps up |
Termite inspection and treatment in Manly
The Australian Museum says the termite Coptotermes acinaciformes nests in stumps, living trees, spaces under buildings and even walls, and can reach wood within a 50 metre radius through underground tunnels. So the nest doesn't need to be on your block for the timber to be at risk.
If you're buying, a building and pest inspection means two reports. The builder, surveyor or architect covers the building, and the timber pest inspector covers termites and borer. If you've seen mud tubes or damaged timber, leave them as they are, because several control options rely on finding termites active, CSIRO says.
Before treatment starts, ask to see the technician's photo card. A NSW licence first issued or renewed after 17 December 2021 has to be the timber pest management technician licence.
Possums on the Northern Beaches
Northern Beaches Council says trapping or relocating possums without a catch and release licence is illegal, and warns that a possum released outside its home territory will die. The NSW rule is release at dusk, no more than 150 metres from where it was caught. In practice that means proofing the roof properly, or the same possum, or the next one, moves straight back in.
Where we'd start with pests in Manly
Work out what you've actually got before you call anyone. Holes in the lawn can wait, and may be good news. Noise in the roof or a mud tube on a wall can't, so tap what you've found 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.
