Rats and Mice
If you hear scratching at night or see small black droppings around your home, it's a good sign you have rats or mice. Here's how to identify and control them in your home and outdoor areas.
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Trichosurus vulpecula
What are Possums
Possums are furry, predominantly herbivorous and nocturnal marsupials that spend most of their time in trees.
In New Zealand, the Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), an introduced species from Australia, are a serious pest.
How to protect your plants against Possums
- Avoid feeding Possums as this further encourages them into your garden.
- For especially vulnerable trees, wrap the tree trunk in a length of hard plastic as a guard.
- Install firm fitting and well secured bird netting over and around vegetable patches.
- As Possums are nocturnal, use motion sensor lighting at night to help deter them from your garden.
- Block up entries into roof cavities to prevent Possum access.
Symptoms
Possums are selective browsing feeders and will eat a variety of plants and parts of plants, including leaves, stems, flowers and flower buds, fruit and vegetables. Symptoms include chewed leaves, fruit and flowers or complete defoliation of plants and fruit being eaten entirely.
You may also see possum droppings on the ground and hear possums scampering over (or in) the roof at night.
Plants impacted
Edible and ornamental plants including fruit trees, camellias, magnolias, roses and vegetables.
Risk period
Possums can visit gardens year round, browsing on plants that have fresh new leaves, are flowering or fruiting at that time.
Caterpillars
Here's an overview of the various types of pest caterpillars in your garden. Find out how to identify them, then get tips to prevent them from eating your vegies!
Tomato Fruit Worm
If you find holes bored into your tomatoes, the culprit may well be the tomato fruit worm. Here's how to identify it, then get rid of it from your garden.
Corn Earworm
If the kernels of your corn cobs are being chewed away inside the husks, it sounds like you have corn ear worm at work. Here's how to identify them, and how to control them.
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