Farmers are urged to keep a lookout for telltale signs of mice damage with one expert saying they’ve seen “highly unusual” numbers over winter already, flagging areas at risk of a population boom.
CSIRO mice expert Steve Henry said scientists are seeing signs a springtime surge could occur, and urged those in regional communities to keep an eye out.
“What we’re seeing around the place is patchy high numbers, apart from South Australia, on the Eyre Peninsula, where there looks to be a more widespread outbreak,” he told 9news.com.au.
Henry said the “patchy high numbers” are occurring around the Adelaide Plains, northern NSW, “basically right across the cropping zone.”
“In Walpeup, up in northwestern Victoria, we recently had some traps out and we got about 50 per cent of trap success,” he said.
“That’s highly unusual for this time of year. Normally in winter, mouse numbers are quite low.
“We were quite surprised to get those types of numbers.”
Reports of “localised outbreaks” have also emerged from Mildura.
“Some of the farmers there said they had significant numbers of mice,” Henry said.
Mice, like rats, are a vector of disease with Leptospirosis and viral meningitis among the more serious illnesses they carry.
“The psychological impact is just massive too,” Henry said.
“There’s just no break from them. You can’t get away from them.”
The giant NSW mouse plague
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‘The key measure’: Numbers expected to increase
Henry said numbers are expected to increase as a decent winter crop is highly likely.
“Rainfall would need to cut out completely now for them not to get an average crop,” he said.
“If we get an average crop there will be food in the system for mice in the springtime.
“So, we’re saying to farmers they need to be really vigilant at the end of the winter before the crop puts that extra food in.
“And if they’re seeing signs of mice in the crops be prepared to bait at the end of winter, start of spring. That’s the key measure.
“If you’re finding mice at the end of winter that’s a significant warning sign.”
The great NSW mouse plague of 2021 partly came off the back of a strong La Niña event, which fuelled crop growth.
Henry said if an El Niño does develop in Australia – bringing warmer and drier conditions – this will help control numbers.
“Crops associated with El Niño tend to be poorer, which means less food,” he said.
However, he pointed out that not all El Niño events are immediately hot and warm.
“We need to remember in El Niño scenarios that it doesn’t always lead to bad, or hotter, dryer seasons.
“Sometimes you achieve an average.
“And good crops are advantageous for mice.”
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