What's different in Picton
The Stonequarry Creek camp
Wollondilly Shire Council says the camp is nationally significant for the Grey-headed Flying-fox. Camps can bring noise and odour to nearby homes, but it's an offence to harm or disturb flying-foxes or their habitat without approval, and residents can't remove or disperse them.
European wasps
Council says you don't need to report European wasps, because they've established in NSW. They nest in hollowed out trees and cavities. For a nest at home it points you to a pest controller, and to council only for a nuisance in a public space.
Fire ants on a rural block
Council says most fire ant spread comes from moving materials like organic mulch, compost, manure and earth-moving equipment. If you suspect them, report them immediately to the NSW Biosecurity Helpline.
Whose job is it around Picton?
| Who to call | Worth knowing | |
|---|---|---|
| A wasp nest at home | A pest business | Keep people and pets clear until then |
| Wasps in a public space | Wollondilly Shire Council | Only if they are a nuisance |
| Flying-foxes in the trees | Nobody to remove them | They're protected, and council manages the camp |
| Suspected fire ants | NSW Biosecurity Helpline | A report, never a pest job |
| Termite signs | A termite inspector | Don't disturb them first |
Termite inspection and treatment around Picton
On a rural block, stumps, sleepers, fence posts and firewood stacked by the house all give termites cover. Damaged wood and mud tubes are the usual first signs, so have a look around the footings and any old timber, and leave what you find alone.
A termite inspection tells you whether anything's active. Treatment, if it's needed, is a separate step with a written plan. Our Sydney termite page and treatment page cover the choices.
On your own place
You can
- Store firewood off the ground and away from the walls.
- Keep mulch and garden beds clear of weep holes.
- Watch where wasps are coming and going from, from a distance, so you can describe it.
Leave to a pest business
- Any European wasp nest, especially one in a wall or a hollow tree.
- Treating termites.
- Bird or possum proofing in the roof.
What we'd do about pests in Picton
Learn to live with the flying foxes, because nobody can move them. Then deal with what's actually on your place: a wasp nest gets a call, and a block with old timber gets a termite inspection.
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.
