The little bastards are back with mouse activity in growing regions from as far apart as the WA Wheatbelt to the Mallee and Wimmera in Victoria and the Darling Downs in QLD
The Grains Research & Development Corporation (GRDC) and CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, are urging growers and advisers to be vigilant due to reports of moderate to high mouse activity in several regions across Australia.
Help is available in the mouse fight, and these are the key instructions to put into place.
- All growers nationwide are encouraged to be vigilant and actively monitor mouse activity.
- There is moderate to high mouse activity in parts of the north Adelaide Plains, Victorian Mallee and Wimmera, and pockets of high activity on the Darling Downs in Queensland, and in the Central Eastern Wheatbelt of WA.
- Please report and map mouse activity using MouseAlert. Follow @MouseAlert on X (formerly Twitter).
Fortunately, mouse numbers are still generally low in most areas as not all crops have been planted. But even early in the season growing regions already suffering from moderate to high mouse activity include parts of the north Adelaide Plains, Victorian Mallee and Wimmera, pockets of Queensland’s Darling Downs, and the Central Eastern Wheatbelt of Western Australia.
CSIRO mouse researcher Steve Henry said now is the time for growers and advisers to actively monitor mouse activity.
“Moderate or high mouse numbers are a concern for this time of year due to it coinciding with the seeding of winter crops, which is when significant economic damage can occur,” Steve Henry advises.
“Given the favourable conditions across many areas, mice have been breeding through summer and autumn, with numbers expected to peak in May.
“Because of that, and because of patchy activity across paddocks, growers are advised to monitor multiple paddocks to gauge mouse numbers to inform management decisions over the coming weeks,” Steve Henry cocluded.
Activate this program now
Growers must firstly gauge mouse numbers and that can be done by walking through paddocks – utilise mouse chew cards and active burrow counts to gauge mouse presence and activity. Mouse chew cards can be ordered from GRDC on 1800 11 00 44 or ground-cover-direct@canprint.com.au.
- If mice are present at sowing, bait at or as soon as possible after sowing, to prevent damage to the freshly sown crop.
- Talk to bait suppliers early to ensure timely supply. As with use of any agricultural chemical, use the product in accordance with the label, and report any adverse or off target effects via the APVMA website.
- Growers should be aware that only baits containing 25 g/kg zinc phosphide (ZnP) are currently available as the Emergency Permit for baits containing 50 g/kg ZnP has lapsed, and this is no longer available.
GRDC pests manager Dr Leigh Nelson said that monitoring and reporting are essential and growers should refer to the GRDC Mouse Management page for detailed information about management options.
“Mouse populations at the moment show patchy activity levels – moderate to high activity in one paddock but low in the next,” Dr Leigh Nelson said.
“This variability highlights the importance of active monitoring by growers to assess the potential risk to their crops.
“Early detection and management are crucial for reducing the impact on the upcoming winter crop season.
“Growers and advisors are encouraged to report mouse activity via MouseAlert and follow @MouseAlert on X (formerly Twitter) for updates.
“By sharing information through MouseAlert, we can develop a detailed overview of mouse activity, which improves our ability to coordinate community-wide management efforts.”
These recommendations arise from part of a GRDC investment aimed at monitoring mouse populations and forecasting likelihood of mouse outbreaks, providing data on the size (abundance) of mouse populations, breeding status and overall activity.
GRDC gives a special thanks to the CSIRO and National Mouse Group for their ongoing commitment to providing better solutions for managing mice in all grain growing regions.
