What shapes pests across the region
An escarpment through three council areas
NPWS says the escarpment crosses Wollongong, Shellharbour and Kiama, running about 50 kilometres south from Royal National Park. It holds the most extensive rainforest in the Sydney Basin Bioregion, and plenty of suburbs back straight onto it.
Possums looking for a roof
A native garden guide from the three councils calls brushtails and ringtails the main mammals you'll see in an Illawarra garden. Town blocks have few tree hollows, so roof cavities get the attention instead.
Lake Illawarra in the middle
Wollongong and Shellharbour councils both manage this shallow lagoon of about 35 square kilometres. Any low ground around it holds water after rain, and that's what mosquitoes need.
Low mosquito numbers, on the last local count
The Illawarra Shoalhaven health district reported low numbers for 2022 to 2023 from three trap sites. Its one virus find was a single Stratford virus detection in mosquitoes at Kiama, which isn't a human case.
Termite inspection or termite treatment?
Start with the inspection. Treatment only makes sense once someone has found termites and worked out how they're getting in. In a CSIRO survey of homes with termites, 86% noticed damaged wood, 34% mud tubes and just 8% wings.
Found any of that? Leave it untouched, because several control options rely on finding termites still active. Anyone who got or renewed a NSW pest licence after 17 December 2021 needs the timber pest management technician licence to treat them, so ask to see the photo card.
Our Wollongong termite page goes further.
Building and pest inspections
Buyers usually mean two reports. A builder, surveyor or architect covers the structure, and a timber pest inspector covers what's eating it. Most consultants want at least 2 to 3 days' notice, so line them up early. The pre-purchase inspections page explains the pest half.
Who answers what, council by council
| Shellharbour | Kiama | |
|---|---|---|
| Rats on your land | Pest animals on private land aren't a council job | Each landowner's job, the council says |
| Swarm on private land | Amateur Beekeepers Australia | Beekeeping contacts on the council's regulation page |
| Injured native animal | WIRES | WIRES |
| Foxes and rabbits | Local Land Services | Local Land Services leads; report foxes on FeralScan |
Where we'd start with pests in the Illawarra
Work out which council you're under, then look up: droppings, thumps and gaps in the eaves tell you more than anything else. Buying? Get the timber pest inspection sorted first. For whatever's left, tell us what you've found and 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.
