EP Mouse Activity | Upcoming online grower session & Reporting app available
SA growers invited to join online mouse activity & bait permit update
South Australian grain producers are being encouraged to join an online session this Friday, May 1 as mouse activity continues to build across the state. Grain Producers Australia (GPA) will host the session at 7pm (SA time), bringing together leading research and on-ground insights to support growers in managing the risk.
GPA Southern Region Director Mark Schilling said the second online session for SA growers comes at a critical time amid seeding and the need to bait for mice.
“Growers are seeing mouse activity consistently growing in parts of South Australia, and we know how quickly that can escalate during seeding and in early crop development stages post seeding,” Mr Schilling said.
The session will include an update on GPA’s work with the CSIRO and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) to apply to the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) for an emergency permit for ZP50. GPA Research Development and Extension Spokesperson Andrew Weidemann will give insight into the emergency permit process and what information is being gathered from growers to support the application.
MouseAlert available for monitoring and recording mice activity
With increased mouse activity being reported across parts of the Eyre Peninsula, now is a good time to start observing and recording activity in your paddocks.
The free MouseAlert app can help farmers and neighbouring landholders to decide when it is the best time to undertake control, to achieve the most cost-effective outcomes from control. The more information recorded, the more useful MouseAlert will become for detecting changes in mouse activity across your region, which can help predict and prepare for plague events.
To date, 3,244 records have been uploaded to MouseAlert, with 139 recently added. From the notifications, a heatmap is generated to show hotspots of mouse activity.
What to record
- Mouse activity in paddocks, crops, and grain storage
- Photos of the damage they cause
- Notes about any recent changes to mouse activity, such as Numbers are rising.
Image: High mouse numbers are causing concern for grain growers, particularly across parts of South Australia and Western Australia.
Mice management resources
Download the free MouseAlert app HERE.