Wax tags

The number of wax tags required will depend on the size of the area you’re monitoring.
Put out wax tags after 7 consecutive nights of fine weather. Pre-label them with numbers or other ID to help with monitoring.
DOC recommends using luminescent strips plus a lure (1 part icing sugar to 5 parts flour) to attract possums at night.

Mount the wax tag and luminescent strip on the same nail 30 cm above the ground with the wax block facing the ground. If there are no trees, use a post. Take a handful of lure (e.g. smooth peanut butter) and smear it up the trunk or post to make a 10cm-wide path that finishes just before the tag.
Use predator tracking apps or other online data management to record any activity.
For the use of wax tags over large areas, see DOC’s ‘A practical guide to trapping’ (PDF, 5.5 MB, pages 26–31).

Wax tags are a useful monitoring tool to detect and monitor possums (and sometimes rats) over medium-to-large areas. It is a plastic tag with a flavoured wax knob attached to it. As with chew cards, the predator is identified by its bite marks.