Pest control in Wallsend.

The bush is a great neighbour — and a busy one.

Wallsend sits on Newcastle's western edge, its streets — Nelson, Newcastle Road, Lake Road, Minmi Road — giving way to reserves and bushland out toward Blue Gum Hills. Homes here are a mix of older cottages and brick-veneer builds, many with gum trees, leaf litter and woodpiles right along the back fence.

That edge is where trouble tends to start. Redback spiders shelter in sheds, woodpiles and under outdoor furniture. Rodents move in from the reserve, especially as it cools. And termites forage out of the bush through stumps, fences and garden timber into the yard — and then the house.

None of it is cause for alarm. It's just the reality of living next to the bush, and it's very manageable when someone's keeping an eye on that boundary.