What Kiama's council says
Rats are the landowner's job
Each landowner manages rats on their own property. The council works with South East Local Land Services on public land, and suggests dealing with food scraps, bin lids, entry gaps and anything stored on the ground before reaching for bait.
Mynas in the eaves
There's no council myna program and no traps to borrow. The council says their nests in roof cavities can pose a fire risk, and that the birds push native species out of nesting sites.
Insects and spiders
These go straight to a pest controller. Pest trouble on council managed land goes through the council's Report a problem page.
Water near town
Spring Creek Wetlands on Glenbrook Drive is a restored site with the threatened Green and Gold Bell Frog, and the Minnamurra River estuary sits just north of town. The 2022 to 2023 mosquito count was low, with one Stratford virus find in trapped mosquitoes.
What's in the roof?
| Myna | Possum | Rat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| When you notice it | By day, birds darting in and out of the eaves | After dark, heavy thumps overhead | At night, scratching, squeaking and gnawing |
| What it leaves | Nesting material pushed into gaps | Droppings and stains on the ceiling | Black droppings, greasy rub marks, chewed cable |
| What the job is | Bird proofing | Proofing, under NSW possum rules | Baiting and proofing |
Possums are a different kind of problem
The Illawarra councils' garden guide says possums are often drawn to roof cavities because town gardens have so few tree hollows, and that a nest box can give them somewhere else to go. It also warns that mynas, starlings and European bees may take a box over.
Possums are protected in NSW. Trapping one, or catching and releasing it, is illegal without a licence, and any release happens at dusk within 150 metres of where it was caught. Ask anyone you hire whether they hold a current licence.
Yours, and theirs
You can
- Get food scraps into a bin with a tight lid.
- Store timber and boxes off the ground.
- Watch the eaves at dusk and early morning, and note what comes and goes.
- Rethink exotic palms, which the council links with mynas.
Leave to a pest business
- Closing roof entry points once anything living there is out.
- Bait stations, and working out where rats are nesting.
- Spiders or insects that keep coming back.
Our take on pests in Kiama
Start at ground level with bins, scraps and stacked timber. Then spend a few days watching the eaves, because knowing what's up there decides the whole job. Once you've worked it out, 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.
