Mouse surge on the Border

The rodent population on the Border is rising by the day, with hardware stores already reporting a surge in demand for traps and baits.

Farmers in the region are under siege, with crops at Deniliquin, Jerilderie and Finley suffering damage, according to the Livestock Health and Pest Authority’s Riverina branch.

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Doug Dyde’s Produce Store owner Paul Ziebarth said demand for vermin-killing products had skyrocketed over the past month.

“Sales have increased 1000?per cent and that’s across the board, from traps to baits, bait stations to put the baits in and cages,” Mr Ziebarth said.

He said the demand is similar to that experienced during a plague three years ago.

“We can’t keep up, the manufacturers can’t even keep up,” he said.

Rentokil Albury branch manager Peter Jeffery said demand for his services had tripled.

He was headed to Griffith yesterday to combat the plague, after removing rodents from a central Albury business.

Riverina LHPA senior ranger, Peter O’Shannassy, said rodent damage had been reported across the region.

“The numbers are going to continue to build, we’re going into winter expecting to have quite a severe problem with mice,” Mr O’Shannassy said.

“We’ve had quite a bit of damage in rice, sorghum, and corn, most of those summer crops were affected.”

Mr O’Shannassy said there had been ample food in stubble paddocks for mice to feed on, but as stubble burning begins the mice will be looking to relocate.

“It’s not many days off before we start sowing canola and people have a genuine fear they’re going to lose seed as it’s put in the ground,” Mr O’Shannassy said.

He said mice plagues were common after long periods of drought.

“There’s plague proportions of just about everything, there wouldn’t be an insect or mammal population that hasn’t increased,” Mr O’Shannassy said.

“It’s important that landholders monitor mice populations and take appropriate measures before they cause irreversible damage to crops, machinery and other infrastructure.”