A possum nightclub might sound like a conservation nightmare, but it’s a great way to give your birdlife a helping hand. Possums breed in March and April and again in September and October. During this time, they’re really promiscuous and are out socialising and moving around a lot.
If you have a low number of possums in your bush block, creating a nightclub makes your area party central, attracting possums from far and wide. Once you’ve got them coming every night, you can then set traps to clear your area of possums.
Struggling to clear the last possums in an area?
Possum nightclubs are great if you’re trying to control a large area with a low population. Because they’re so social during mating season, they’ll follow each other to the site. Trapping during the breeding season stops the possum population from booming so the birds can thrive.
Wildlife biologist Cam Speedy is an expert possum party planner. In this handy video, he gives step by step instructions for creating a successful possum nightclub.
How to create a possum nightclub
- Choose an area to host the nightclub.
- Unset your traps and remove bait from your bait stations.
- Fill your bait stations with a couple of kilograms of tasty treats:
- Cut carrot is great because it’s rainproof
- Use horse cereal if the weather’s dry
- Try other local, seasonal, and cheap produce
- Use this flour paste to attract them to the site
- Put out fresh food every night for seven to ten days – a week is long enough if you have lots of possums in your area, while ten days is better if you have low numbers.
- Check to see if it’s working – the food will be disappearing and there will be worn down runs into the site.
- When you know your nightclub is popular, set three to six traps or bait stations for a few nights in a row – the Flipping Timmy is a great trap for this. Or, if you’re an experienced pest controller, Victor leg hold traps can work well.
- Enjoy watching the bush bounce back and hear the birdlife humming!
