WITH sowing season just around the corner for many Wimmera farmers, mice baiting is underway on properties across the region.
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The Wimmera has experienced a drastic increase in mice numbers in the past two years.
The CSIRO hosted information sessions in the region last month about mice activity.
The organisation’s research officer Steve Henry said farmers were becoming more vigilant about monitoring mice on their properties.
“We’re getting really close to sowing season and some have already started. Farmers are saying that the mice are worse this year than last,” he said.
“But they are also more aware about the issue than last year; they are more switched on and better equipped to deal with the problem. I hope we have raised awareness of the issue.
“I recommend that farmers bait four to six weeks before they plan to start sowing. If they do a bait application as soon as possible, they can monitor how effective it has been, and if necessary, they can do another application.”
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Mr Henry said it was important for farmers to have bait on hand in case they needed it.
“One thing that always happens during a mice outbreak is that there’s always a bait shortage, so make sure you talk to your bait supplier early on,” he said.
Mr Henry said he had spoken to between 700 and 800 farmers in the region in the past few months about monitoring mice.
He said monitoring showed mice numbers varied from property to property.
“When we looked at properties between Hopetoun and Horsham, we hit a range of different activity,” he said.
“What we saw was that some paddocks had high numbers, while others had moderate or very low numbers. That could be dependent on crop levels from last season.”
Mr Henry said the region’s mice population was growing at an extraordinary rate.
“Mice were showing a higher than normal survival rate over the winter,” he said.
“They were breeding in higher numbers in the spring and that growth has persisted through to summer.”
Mr Henry encouraged farmers to monitor their crops after sowing, because most mice activity was covered up during that process.
“Another thing they can do if mice are still present is to bait again after they have seeded,” he said.
“That’s a really good option because within the first 24 hours mice can pull up seeds and that’s when most of the damage happens.”