Grain growers in northern NSW and southern Queensland are being advised to assess mouse numbers in the paddock to determine if mice are likely to pose a risk at planting.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mouse monitoring experts working with the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) have warned that warm, wet conditions and an abundant food supply could be cause mice to breed rapidly.
CSIRO researcher Steve Henry said growers needed to be proactive and “get out of the ute, walk into their paddocks and get a good feel for what is going on” in respect to assessing current numbers and activity.
“If you are seeing mice in the paddock, you need to consider baiting to prevent carrying high numbers into planting time,” he said.
"To look for active burrows, I suggest growers walking about 30 metres in from the edge of the paddock and set a 100 metre (1 metre wide) transect through a crop, following the furrows.”
A single pair of mice can give rise to 500 offspring in a season and the the threshold for economic damage at sowing is 200 mice/hectare.
