Living around Narrabeen Lagoon
A lagoon that opens and closes
Northern Beaches Council says the lagoon naturally opens and closes to the ocean, depending on how much sand has built up in the entrance and how much rain has fallen. So the water around it changes through the year.
A trapping site
The council's annual program targets high-risk locations including Narrabeen Lagoon at Deep Creek. In November 2025 it said it was in its seventh year working with NSW Health.
What the traps found
NSW Health's report lists Stratford virus on 11 March 2025 and Barmah Forest virus on 18 March 2025 in mosquitoes trapped at Narrabeen. The council places that detection between Deep Creek and Middle Creek. A virus in a trap isn't a human case, and a pest business can't prevent disease, so look to NSW Health for current advice.
Rabbits and the odd cane toad
The council says wild rabbits are well established on the Northern Beaches. Cane toads are rarely found here, but sightings are expected to increase, and the council asks you to report a suspected toad.
How to get a yard ready for mosquito season
Do a weekly lap
Flush and wipe out bird baths and water features once a week, and throw out tyres and containers that collect water.
Deal with the pot plants
Fill pot plant bases with sand so they can't hold water.
Check the boat and trailer
Make sure tarpaulins aren't sagging and collecting water. Around a lagoon, that one's easy to miss.
Look up, then down
Keep roof gutters and drains clear, and cover or screen septic and rainwater tanks.
Keep the pool clean
The council says a properly cleaned and chlorinated pool is rarely a source of mosquito breeding, while a neglected one can harbour them.
Cover up at dusk
healthdirect recommends loose, light coloured long sleeves and pants, plus repellent containing DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
And the possum in the roof?
The council is direct about it: trapping or relocating possums without a catch and release licence is illegal. A licence holder must release the possum no more than 150 metres from where it was caught, near something it can climb. So the real fix is proofing the gaps once it has gone out for the night, then leaving it to the trees.
Where we'd spend the effort
Put your first hour into the yard, not the phone. If the bites stay bad after a few weeks of clearing water, or something's moving in the roof, pick it on this page 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.
