A severe mouse plague is affecting large areas of Western Australia and South Australia, with farmers reporting thousands of mice per hectare damaging newly planted crops, consuming grain, and invading rural properties.
Farmers have incurred significant costs through replanting crops and laying poisoned bait, while favourable conditions including a record harvest, abundant spilled grain, and summer rainfall have contributed to the explosion in mouse numbers.
Experts from Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, estimate mouse populations in some areas far exceed the threshold typically used to define a plague.
Mice reproduce rapidly, worsening infestations during the critical autumn planting season. Farmers have also faced increased fuel and fertiliser costs, while authorities have recently approved a stronger bait to help control the outbreak.
Some growers have reported declining mouse numbers following cooler weather, rainfall, and the introduction of the new bait.
Image credit: Joshua J. Cotton
