Monitoring mice in Australia

Authors: Steve Henry¹ and Peter Brown²

¹CSIRO Health & Biosecurity, Canberra, ²CSIRO Agriculture & Food, Canberra

Research Team: Jennyffer Cruz, Roger Pech, Dean Anderson, Andrea Byrom, Lyn Hinds, Peter West, Tony Pople, Greg Mutze, Grant Singleton, Marijke Welvaert, Peter Caley, Nikki Van de Weyer

Funded By: GRDC AIC00002

Project Title: Surveillance and forecasts for mouse outbreaks in Australian cropping systems.

Key Messages

• Mouse numbers are currently moderate across most regions of southern New South Wales, South Australia and northwest Victoria. There is potential for economic damage at sowing in 2018.
• Current efforts to monitor mice are not sufficient to detect variations in mouse abundance between and within cropping regions. Farmers need to stay informed about potential increases in mouse numbers from the mouse monitoring updates that the project publishes at the end of each monitoring session. https://www.feralscan.org.au/mousealert/pagecontent.aspx?page=mouse_news
• Farmers should conduct their own monitoring to ensure they know what is happening in their own paddock in the lead up to sowing each autumn. Farmers should follow the recommendations outlined in the GRDC GROWNOTES™, Tips and Tactics, Better Mouse Management page at https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/all-publications/publications/2017/07/tips-and-tactics-better-mouse-management
• Broad-scale application of zinc phosphide bait is the only method available to farmers to control mice in their paddocks. Timely application of mouse bait at the prescribed rate is paramount for reducing the impact that mice have on crops at sowing. Strategic use of bait is more effective than frequent use of bait.