Lonicera has become home to a creature.

[bodhidharma]

Hey Jamie nobody has told the bushrats around here that they cant climb. I have seen one climb up the side of my chimney to get into the roof space. They do not look like the rats we are used to. They are round eared and do not have the ugly teeth like a normal rat. The little buggers will chew through anything to get to the cornflakes. Thanks for the shotgun ant, nice to see the tree is appreciated. They were growing wild on the property when i bought the place and it took me a long time to nail the trees official title down. The previous owner gave me the clue that they were called a woodbine tree and a lot of study has lead me to this conclusion. Good on ya Google. I am still not 100% sure if this is correct. I literally have 15 or twenty growing like this on my property. The previous owner said they were already there when he bought the place in 1965. We are guessing 50 to 60 years old. I planned the tree while it was still in the ground and could take my time to develop it but, of course it had to change a little once it was put into its pot. The tree is very large and a three man job to repot it. Consequently it gets repotted every three or four years.

[Joel]

Oh they can climb anything, and jump over a metre. They can destroy 3 or more bonsai a night, and kill mature trees by ringbarking them. Ive had trouble for a long time.

Just found an add in an Aldi catalog for insect repellent that plays varying pitches of sound to deter. It says it deters mice and rats too, so I'm going to buy it. Its $29. If its anything like the other 30 things Ive tried..... it wont work. We shall see.

I don't want to kill them, but there is plenty of bush all around my house, and it would benefit me to have my trees whole, and just as importantly, it would benefit them to live in their natural environment.

JayC

[Jamie]

well there ya go hey! you cant always believe a doco!
i thought that myself but wasnt quite sure when i thought i seen one in my shed on a mezzeanine floor, didnt get much of a look at it tho, it took off as soon as the light went on and it could have been a possum too... so how big are these bush rats of yours???
and is your tree commonly known as a cape honeysuckle??? red-orange tubular flowers??
if so it is a big one and well formed for being grown natural, the cape honeysuckle generally is spindly and is invasive like some bamboos

[bodhidharma]

.Keep me posted if it works Jayc. Hey Jamie, they are large.maybe 4 week old kitten size. I have only known the tree as being called Wild Honeysuckle. The flowers are white and tiny and it produces a small red fruit that is quite edible. The Fragrantisima is the closest possible match i have been able to find and near enough nails it. But of course, if somebody with more knowledge can nail it that would be good.

[Jamie]

.Keep me posted if it works Jayc. Hey Jamie, they are large.maybe 4 week old kitten size. I have only known the tree as being called Wild Honeysuckle. The flowers are white and tiny and it produces a small red fruit that is quite edible. The Fragrantisima is the closest possible match i have been able to find and near enough nails it. But of course, if somebody with more knowledge can nail it that would be good.

just done a quick google search the one i was talking about is Lonicera Tecoma capensis. but the common name honeysuckle is so common its not funny, big genus.
as for the bush rats the one i seen (or so i thought was a bush rat) was about that size maybe a bit bigger. still not sure if its a possum or a rat. but all good. hope you find a humane way of sorting your problem!