What's particular to Penrith
The Werrington traps
NSW Health found Barmah Forest virus in mosquitoes trapped at Werrington on 25 March 2025, and Gan Gan virus there on 1 April and 8 April. That's a trap result, not a human case, so NSW Health is the place for health advice. In the week ending 7 February 2026, Penrith's trap numbers rated medium.
Acreage brings its own water
On farms and bigger blocks, Penrith City Council says not to over irrigate, because water pools. It also wants dams kept clear of vegetation and leaks, and old tyres, cans and bottles cleared away.
Ringtails in the reserves
Council checked 34 habitat boxes across eight reserves in 2023 and found ringtail possums and sugar gliders living in them. It says a tree hollow takes at least 100 years to form, which is partly why a warm roof looks so good to a possum.
Spiders on the plain
Western Sydney's dry, flat country has fewer funnel-webs than the upland forests, the Australian Museum says, though they're not absent. Redbacks under the outdoor setting are the more everyday find.
After rain, walk the block
- Clear blocked gutters and tip out pot plant drip trays.
- Empty anything left out that's holding water: buckets, toys, tarps.
- Check screens on septic tank vents and rainwater tanks.
- Keep the pool full and well maintained, and stock any fishpond with fish.
Possums in a Penrith roof
Possums are protected in NSW, and trapping one without a licence is illegal. Someone with a NSW catch and release licence must let it go at dusk, no more than 150 metres from where it was caught, next to something it can climb. Our possums page for Sydney walks through it.
Rats, mice and termites
Rodent control is the same story here as across western Sydney: take away food and shelter, close the gaps, then call a pest controller for what's left. Feed sheds and chook runs are worth a look first on a bigger block.
For termites, an inspection is the job worth booking before you've seen anything. If you do find mud tubes or soft timber, leave them alone and get a termite inspection done, because disturbing them makes the job harder.
If it were our place in Penrith
We'd sort the water this week, while the weather's warming up, and book a termite inspection if the last one's a distant memory. Anything moving in the roof can wait a night or two: note the time, listen for what it sounds like, and let us know.
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.
