Northwest Victorian farmers are being urged to check paddocks for increased mouse numbers in the lead up to sowing.
The latest meeting of the National Mouse Group (NMG) has received widespread reports of moderate to high mouse activity from the Darling Downs and Roma in Queensland, through large parts of South Australia and into Western Australia.
The NMG is a grower-led working group that provides growers with the latest advice and information to support effective, timely, and safe best practice mouse management.
Its Ouyen-based chairman Ian Hastings has highlighted the need for considered yet quick action.
“Strategic baiting six weeks out from sowing in areas of high mouse activity can reduce local populations and stop population growth, but be prepared to bait again at sowing if mice are still a problem,” Mr Hastings said.
“By the time you’re seeing mouse activity, it’s almost too late.
“Mouse numbers increase really quickly, and farmers need to be vigilant to ensure they don’t get out of control.”
CSIRO researcher Steve Henry said the best way to confirm mouse activity is by walking paddocks to look for mouse burrows.
“The goal of baiting is to ensure mice consume a lethal dose. Any background food can decrease baiting effectiveness, as it lowers the chances of mice encountering a lethal dose,” he said.
“Therefore, it’s important to check the amount of background food in paddocks and, where possible, reduce it before baiting.”
You can log your local mouse activity through https://www.feralscan.org.au/mousealert/ as data is key for researchers to refine and verify forecast models.
The NMG brings together farmers from all mainland states, along with agronomists, peak bodies, industry groups, GRDC representatives, state government departments, and researchers from CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency.
The group receives updates on mouse activity and research progress, including studies on mouse diseases, population modelling, ecology, surveillance and detection, and bait spreading technology.
MouseAlert is a free resource which grain producers and farmers can use to record and report the prevalence of mice before they become a major issue.
It is a free resource, and can help you notify producers in your region about changes in mouse activity.
Information you enter, can be used to alert local biosecurity authorities and other people about changes in mouse populations, which can help everyone reduce the problems they cause.
