Lexi Webster
Nocturnal creatures can wreak havoc on your garden, leaving you clueless about what is eating your plants at night. Common culprits in Australia include possums, which are territorial and agile, allowing them to reach plants almost anywhere. They can eat just about anything, including roses, maples, magnolias, and even chillies. Other pests include armyworm larvae, cutworms, snails and slugs, and various insects like whiteflies, scale insects, and beetles. To identify and address the issue, you can inspect your garden at night, use traps or barriers, or adopt deterrence methods like chicken wire, repellents, or netting.
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What You'll Learn
- Possums: the most common nocturnal pest in Australia, they eat almost anything
- Rats: they ring-bark trees and eat young shoots
- Rabbits: foragers that eat vegetation, flowers, bushes and woody plants
- Voles: mouse-like creatures that burrow and eat flower bulbs and plant roots
- Larvae: the young of moths, butterflies, and beetles, they eat leaves, fruits, and tree bark
Possums: the most common nocturnal pest in Australia, they eat almost anything
Possums are a common nocturnal pest in Australia, with over 23 different species found across the country. The two species that are often found in urban settings are the Common Brushtail Possum and the Common Ringtail Possum, with the former being the most common. Possums are native and protected Australian marsupials that are known for their agility and nocturnal behaviour. They typically leave their dens just after dusk in search of food and are very strict with their schedules.
Possums have a varied diet and will eat almost anything, including vegetables, flowers, and even chillies. They are known to cause damage to gardens and can be a nuisance for homeowners. Some people have reported that possums have eaten their succulents, marigolds, lavender, pansies, bonsais, and vegetables. Possums are also attracted to fruit trees and will eat meat if they find it.
To deter possums from eating your plants, there are a few methods you can try. One option is to use a possum repellent spray, such as Yates Possum Repellent Spray, which is designed to deter possums from eating susceptible plants. Another option is to hang plants in places that possums cannot access. You can also try planting native plants for possums to eat, such as small to medium-sized Eucalypts and shrubs like Bottlebrushes, Grevilleas, Hakeas, and Wattles.
It is important to note that possums are protected native animals in Australia, and it is illegal to kill or harm them. If you are having issues with possums, it is recommended to consult your local council for advice on how to deter them humanely.
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Rats: they ring-bark trees and eat young shoots
Rats are a common problem for gardeners and can cause significant damage to trees and plants. They are particularly attracted to young, tender shoots and tree bark, which provide a valuable food source, especially during the winter months when other food sources are scarce. Rats have been known to ring-bark trees, which involves stripping the bark from the trunk and branches, preventing the flow of nutrients and potentially killing the tree.
In addition to ring-barking, rats will also eat young shoots, impeding the growth of new plants and trees. This behaviour can be extremely frustrating for gardeners and can result in significant losses. Rats are nocturnal creatures, so they are most active at night, making them a prime suspect for mysterious plant damage.
One way to protect your plants from rats is to install physical barriers. For singular trunk plants, wrapping a sheet of thin steel or wire mesh around the trunk can be effective. This method can be more challenging for plants with multiple trunks, but it is still possible to create a barrier by extending the protection below the soil surface to prevent rats from digging their way in. White, plastic protection tubes can also be purchased to spiral around the trunks of young trees.
Another strategy is to use repellents or traps. Some gardeners have had success with homemade repellents, such as a concoction of garlic, pepper, chilli, and marigold flowers/leaves sprayed on plants. Others have used Tomcat traps, which are a type of plastic snap trap, or sticky traps to catch the rats.
It is important to take action to protect your plants from rats, as they can cause significant and lasting damage. By employing a combination of physical barriers, repellents, and traps, you can effectively deter rats and protect your plants.
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Rabbits: foragers that eat vegetation, flowers, bushes and woody plants
Rabbits are foragers that eat vegetation, flowers, bushes, and woody plants. They are not picky eaters and will happily munch on almost any freshly sprouted plant, flower, or grass. Rabbits rely on their sensitive noses to navigate, so scent-based repellents can be used to keep them away from plants. Popular home solutions include vinegar, but it should be kept away from acid-sensitive plants. Other deterrents include garlic, pepper, chilli, and marigold flowers/leaves in water, which can be sprayed on plants.
Rabbits will eat most plants, but some plants are more enticing to them than others. Rabbits favour many annual bedding plants, such as sweet pea (Lathyrus latifolius and L. odoratus). They also eat herbs, vegetables, shrubs, flowers, and even the bark of trees. They particularly enjoy tender spring shoots.
Some plants that rabbits tend to avoid include:
- Columbine plants and flowers: these may look delicate, but rabbits avoid these hardy perennial flowers.
- Daffodils: these contain lycorine, a toxic substance that can cause rabbit health issues.
- Vinca plants: rabbits favour the similar-looking impatiens plant over this plant, which has leathery leaves and tough stems.
- Hellebore (Christmas rose): an early-blooming alternative to crocuses, which rabbits enjoy.
- Nicotiana plants: members of the Solanaceae family, which contains toxic plants like nightshades, jimsonweed, and belladonna. The foliage also sports irritating hairs that repel rabbits.
- Peony hybrids: seldom bothered by rabbits, but tree peonies are frequently browsed by rabbits.
- Snapdragons: these have a bitter or unpleasant taste to rabbits, and are also deer-resistant.
- Azaleas and rhododendrons: these plants are toxic to rabbits and other pets.
- Geraniums: for the most part, these will be left alone by rabbits.
If you are struggling with an influx of rabbits, it is recommended to start with simple solutions. A well-built, rabbit-proof fence can drastically cut the number of rabbits eating flowers or bushes. Chicken wire covers can also work well as a barrier.
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Voles: mouse-like creatures that burrow and eat flower bulbs and plant roots
Voles are mouse-like creatures that can be distinguished by their thicker bodies, shorter tails, and rounder, blunter snouts compared to mice. Their fur is typically a mixture of chestnut brown and black, and they have small, black eyes. These wild rodents are not domesticated like house mice and do not adapt well to living in human care. They are highly prevalent, found in various regions across the world, including Australia, and play an important role in the food chain.
Voles exhibit a strong preference for plants, making them easy to identify in high numbers. They eat grasses, stems, bulbs, tubers, herbaceous plants, and even tree roots and bark during fall and winter. Their feeding habits can be detrimental to ecosystems, as they strip the bark from small trees and plants, damaging them and killing young plants.
Voles are known to burrow, and their presence can be identified by several shallow tunnels snaking through lawns or gardens. These tunnels are approximately two inches wide, and their activity often spikes early in the spring, particularly after a mild winter.
To protect your plants from voles, you can try methods such as creating physical barriers with chicken wire or mesh plant covers. You can also try repelling them with a homemade spray made from garlic, pepper, chilli, and marigold flowers/leaves infused in water. These methods may help deter voles and other pests from damaging your plants.
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Larvae: the young of moths, butterflies, and beetles, they eat leaves, fruits, and tree bark
Larvae, the young of moths, butterflies, and beetles, can wreak havoc on gardens by eating leaves, fruits, and tree bark. Here are some common types of larvae that can be found in Australia and their effects on plants:
Codling Moth Larvae
Codling moth larvae feed on leaves and then burrow into fruits, leaving holes and reddish-brown droppings (frass) on the outside. They form cocoons in hidden places like crevices, under loose bark, or in the ground, and there can be up to three generations per season in Australia.
Borers
Borers are the larval stage of insects like beetles, weevils, moths, or sawflies. They lay their eggs in trees, especially those under stress, and the young larvae eat the tree's bark, disrupting the sap flow and eventually killing the tree. Bark beetles, for example, create numerous tiny holes in tree branches and trunks.
Citrus Gall Wasp Larvae
The female citrus gall wasp lays its eggs in the stems of citrus trees, and the larvae feed on the stem tissue, causing woody galls that weaken the tree and reduce its yield. Heavy infestations can lead to branch dieback.
Armyworm Larvae
Armyworm larvae are nocturnal feeders that target tender seedlings. They get their name because where there is one, there is usually an "army" of larvae nearby. They can cause significant damage to small seedlings, and non-chemical controls like copper tape barriers and beer bait traps are recommended.
Cutworm Larvae
Cutworm larvae hide under the soil during the day and emerge at night to feed on seedlings, cutting them off at ground level. Barriers of aluminium foil or cardboard can protect seedlings until they are strong enough to withstand the caterpillar stage.
To protect your plants from larvae, you can try various methods such as pheromone or male attractant bait traps, natural remedies like garlic, vegetable oil, and detergent mixtures, or physical barriers like chicken wire or mesh covers.
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Frequently asked questions
Common nocturnal garden pests in Australia include possums, rats, armyworm larvae, cutworms, snails, slugs, adult beetles, and rabbits.
To identify possums, look for distinctive features such as black furry tails (brushtails) or curled, bare tails (ringtails). They are agile and can reach plants in upper-storey balconies. To deter them, you can use wire mesh, chicken wire, or mesh plant covers. Some people also suggest using a pellet gun or trapping and removing the animal.
Rabbits cause low-level damage to plants, often clipping stems at an angle. Voles are mouse-like creatures that burrow and feed on flower bulbs and plant roots. Armyworm larvae feed on tender seedlings at night, leaving them cut at ground level. Cutworms target newly planted seedlings, cutting them at ground level and pulling them into their hiding holes. Adult beetles lay their eggs in gardens, so you may see eggs or larvae on your plants.
To protect your plants, you can use physical barriers such as wire mesh, chicken wire, or mesh plant covers. You can also try repellents like coffee grounds for rabbits, or natural predators like ladybugs, lacewings, and minute pirate bugs. Reducing outdoor lighting can help avoid attracting beetles. For seedlings, you can use aluminium foil or cardboard toilet roll holders as barriers until they are stronger.
