Big black spider? Treat it as an emergency
Call 000 straight away for a bite from any big black spider, then lie the person down and keep them still. Don't go after the spider. Turramurra is inside the Sydney funnel-web's main range, and males wander over summer and autumn.
What the bush edge brings
Three national parks
Ku-ring-gai is bound by Garigal National Park to the east, Lane Cove National Park to the west and Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park to the north. Council counts about 92 kilometres of boundary between bushland and private properties.
Brushtails in the roof
Council says that where old hollow-bearing trees are lacking, the brushtail possum will nest in any sheltered dry cavity. To a brushtail, your roof space qualifies.
Ticks
Council says ticks are often found in bushland, tall grass and leaf litter. Check skin and hair after any time in the reserves, or along a back fence that runs into them.
Rats, and where bait ends up
Ku-ring-gai Council's rat advice starts with the house: seal gaps, secure food and compost, and clear woodpiles and clutter. It also warns that bait can reach pets and native animals through secondary poisoning.
If a technician suggests baiting in a garden that backs onto bush, ask which product it is, where the stations will sit and who checks them. Our Sydney rat and mouse page covers the rest.
Before you say yes to a possum job
- Do you hold a current NSW licence for catch and release?
- How will you confirm the possum has gone out to feed before the gaps are closed?
- Where will any release happen? NSW allows it at dusk, within 150 metres, beside something it can climb.
- What will stop it coming back along the same branch or fence?
If it were our house in Turramurra
We'd get someone into the roof before talking about treatments, because a brushtail, a rat and a bird all sound like something up there. Once you know which, the job is usually proofing plus cleaning up what's drawing it in. Tell us what you've heard, with 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.
