Ditch Keeling puts a Timms possum trap in place.

Although the official possum control season (autumn-spring) is over, it would be rather ambitious to assume that our winter efforts have removed them all.

Possums are much more widespread during the summer months making it difficult to target a large portion of the population, hence the winter-timed possum season. 

But that’s not to say the damaging effects of possums go away over the summer and many land-owners make contact with people like myself asking what can be done to protect flowers, fruit and vegetables during the off season or while they are away on summer holidays. 

There is a growing range of possum kill-traps on the market and a few of these show some potential but the one that has continued to impress me the most is without a doubt the Timms Kill Trap.

Many readers will be familiar with these bright yellow plastic traps as they have been on the market for something like 25 years or more. 

There must be hundreds of them out there mouldering away under fruit trees, still doing the business after all this time. At $35-$55 each they represent real value for money and I have yet to find any other kill trap that is as efficient and reliable as this unit. 

Baiting is crucial for these traps to function as intended and whenever I’ve met someone less than impressed with their performance it has turned out to be a baiting issue. 

The most common mistake is to bait the trap with half an apple or similar fruit. This is far too big as the weight affects the trigger mechanism and makes it harder for the animal to set it off. 

Large bait also allows, or even encourages, the animal to take a sideways bite and this changes the angle of the head when the trap goes off which can result in a clean miss or an animal firmly captured but not killed cleanly.

Small cubes of apple or carrot can be used, I favour carrot as it lasts for up to 10 days.  Baits should ideally be slightly wider than they are high as this encourages a straight-on approach and results in good clean kills.

Carrot rings cut at 10-15mm thick are ideal. Push one of these onto the baiting prong (through the centre) until the carrot hits the bend in the steel. 

Additional lure, in the form of scented flour sprinkled in a line leading to the trap (around a foot long), is a great addition and will always result in more captures. Mix standard flour with a small amount of concentrated cinnamon or aniseed, vanilla essence or anything else that smells good; they all work well and the kitchen pantry is probably the best place to start.

Be sure to peg Timms Traps firmly to the ground and don’t leave them set when very young children are about. 

Many people ask how safe Timms Traps are around pet cats. I will always leave the final decision to the property owner but I can honestly say that I have never heard of a cat being caught in a Timms Trap when baited as prescribed above and would have no problem having them around my cat (if I owned one). 

If you find yourself short of gift ideas for a lifestyle block owner this Christmas, a Timms Trap would surely be the gift that keeps on giving!

Happy trapping and have a very Merry Christmas from the team at Coastal Pest Solutions.