What the bush edge means in Pymble
Lane Cove National Park
The park runs along Ku-ring-gai's western side, and the Pennant Hills to West Pymble fire trail sits inside it. Ku-ring-gai Council counts another 158 bushland reserves, covering 1160 hectares.
Rats, baits and wildlife
Rats and mice are common in homes and gardens, the council says, and they disrupt local wildlife as well as damaging property. It also warns that baits may harm pets and native animals through secondary poisoning, which is when an animal eats a poisoned rodent.
Ticks in the leaf litter
The council says ticks are often found in bushland, tall grass and leaf litter. NSW Health Pathology says you're most likely to meet the paralysis tick in its most dangerous adult form from September to December, so check skin and hair after spring gardening.
What to ask before anyone baits for rats
- Where will the bait go, and will it sit in bait stations (locked boxes that hold rodent bait)?
- What's the full product name, so I can look it up?
- Pets and native animals use this yard. How does that change your plan?
- How will you find and close the way in, so this doesn't start again next year?
- When will someone come back to check the stations and take them away?
Is it a rat or a possum in the roof?
Both climb, both come out at night, and one of them is protected. NSW Government guidance suggests watching the roofline at dusk, and sprinkling flour near the entry points to see whose footprints turn up.
A brushtail sleeps in the roof by day and leaves at night to forage, while black rats build nests of shredded material in roofs and wall cavities. If the prints are a possum's, skip the bait talk and read our Sydney possum page first.
What helps around a Pymble yard
- Keep lawns and garden edges trimmed, and thin out dense cover against the house.
- Put fallen fruit, compost and pet food where rodents can't reach them.
- Store firewood off the ground and away from the walls.
- Think about native trees and a nest box: the council suggests supporting owls and hawks, which hunt rodents.
What we'd do in Pymble
Work out who's up there first, because a possum and a rat are completely different jobs. If it's rats, ask for the entry points to be found and closed as well as baited. Then pick what you've found 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.
