Overview
- CSIRO and grower reports show plague-level mouse numbers from Geraldton to Esperance, with some paddocks recording three to four thousand burrows per hectare and up to about 8,000 mice per hectare.
- Scientists urge farmers to lay bait as they sow because mice follow the seed row and pull out grain, which can wipe out crops like canola before plants establish.
- Zinc phosphide remains the main tool, and research shows a lethal dose takes two or three poison-coated grains, yet heavy leftover grain in paddocks makes bait harder for mice to find.
- WA Farmers says growers cannot access high-strength ZP-50 bait without federal approval, while fuel and fertiliser shortages add pressure to seeding and control plans.
- Households and sheds are also affected, with residents reporting torn food packs and nightly infestations, and monitoring has flagged higher mouse activity in parts of South Australia and southern Queensland, recalling the 2021 plague that caused hundreds of millions in losses.