The Hills on edge over bees, termites and snakes this spring

THE HILLS is known as the Garden Shire and for good reason. The area is home to swarming bees, creepy termites and slithering snakes.

Termites have been causing a problem in Cherrybrook.

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THE HILLS is known as the Garden Shire and for good reason.

Castle Hill is the home of bees according to a hipages study; finding the suburb has a swarm of bees sending residents flocking to call pest controllers.

But bee expert Daya Howpage, who is also a hobby beekeeper at his Castle Hill home, advised residents to leave them be.

Castle Hill man Daya Howpage urged people to not kill bees. Picture: Justin Sanson

“Don’t kill them unless you have a very severe allergy,” he said.

“We need to protect them. People should be glad to see them because we can’t have food without bees.

“They contribute $1.2 billion to the Australian economy by pollinating crops.”

Pest controller Ian King agreed to leaving the bees alone, saying most bee swarms gathered in trees and would clear themselves up within 48 hours.

Mr Howpage said Hills residents would start seeing more of the buzzing creatures around their homes this spring but not to be alarmed.

Bees are helpful creatures, pollinating $1.2 billion worth of crops in Australia. Picture: Justin Sanson

“I think it is the time now as we have lot of flowers,” he said.

“People find more bees because it is the swarming season and the reproduction of new queens.”

Mr Howpage said the bees communicated with each other through a “bee dance” to lead them to the best fruit or flowers to produce the best honey, leading them to move on from suburban backyards.

A hipages spokesman stressed the fact the bees were not killed during the pest control removal but were taken to bee farms.

Bees also make delicious honey and burr comb. Picture: Justin Sanson

Over in Cherrybrook, the leafy suburb holds the unwanted honour of having the most call-outs to deal with termites gnawing away at the insides of houses.

Mr King, who runs his own business removing creepy crawlies from the North Shore, the Hills and the Northern Beaches for the past 35 years, said the homes in Cherrybrook provided a good snack for termites.

“A lot of them (Cherrybrook homes) are built in termite heaven,” he said.

“A lot of them are older homes, built on concrete slabs and haven’t had proper termite barriers put in place.”

Pest controller Ian King said termites were blind and would keep burrowing until they found their food.

Mr King said homeowners should look out for soft plasterboards, mud trails in walls and damaged wood because it could point to signs of a termite infestation, especially in kitchen, bathrooms and laundry areas.

“Mostly termites can get into very obscure places in homes because they’re not going to announce, ‘hello we’re termites!’ — it would be easy to get to them,” he said.

“What a lot of people don’t realise is there could be a termite nest that’s attacking three to four homes in one area. We seek to eliminate that nest wherever possible.”

Nearby Quakers Hill had an itch it needed scratched by removing fleas while Parramatta called pest controllers to stomp out its cockroach problem.

TOP PROBLEMS BUGGING SUBURBS:

● Bedbugs: Redfern

● Bees: Castle Hill

● Cockroaches: Parramatta

● Fleas: Quakers Hill

● Rodents: Penrith

● Spiders: Glenmore Park

● Termites: Cherrybrook

● Vermin: Drummoyne

● Wasps: Cecil Hills

● Snakes: Back Forest

Source: hipages.com.au

But bugs aren’t the only problem to look out for in the Hills. Spring time and hot weather means it’s time again for snakes to slither into backyards.

The red belly black snake is the most common in the Hills. Picture: Jono Searle.

In just four weeks Snakes in the City have removed one hundred snakes from homes and backyards, as owner Harley Jones warns of an unusual increase in the number of snake sightings.

Last summer, between September and November Mr Jones removed 177 snakes from Sydney properties himself.

“It wouldn’t be unusual to get up to 30 calls a day over summer,” Mr Jones said. “We basically don’t get a proper sleep because people call 24 hours a day.”

Mr Jones said residents in the Hills need to keep track of hotbed regions in backyards and homes that could attract snakes.

Catching a wild snake is illegal unless you have a licence. Picture: Mark Calleja

“The most common is the red belly black snake, which we remove from all areas of Sydney, no one has ever died from one, but it will certainly ruin your day,” he said.

Pet owners are also being encouraged to keep a closer eye on pets during the warmer seasons, as dogs and cats are likely to provoke snakes.

While the removal of a snake will leave you out of pocket around $220, Mr Jones warns removing a snake yourself can be risky business — as it’s not just the snake that will bite.

“It’s illegal to catch an Australian snake, there are fines and people will get bitten trying,” Mr Jones said.

Edyta Lynch and her family have been living on acre ridge in Middle Dural for two years now and are nervously preparing for snake season as the weather heats up.

Ben Lynch with family Emily, Edyta and Cassey near where the family saw a snake at their Middle Dural property. Picture: Carmela Roche

In the past, Mrs Lynch hasn’t been so worried about snakes, but now with two young children, she fears they will be seriously hurt one day while playing outside.

“I do worry about the kids because we are living in the middle of the bush so you just never know what is around.

“My husband spotted a brown snake last year while riding his bike on the bush track, apart from that, we have been quite lucky.

“We try to keep the grass down and everything packed up so there is no chance of a snake being close to the house,” Mrs Lynch said.

Mrs Lynch recently ­purchased a dog, hoping that it would protect her children if they were ever threatened by snakes.