An expert says a mouse plague could be brewing in regional South Australia, as a result of several years of heavy rainfall and a record-breaking grain crop across the state.
WARNING: This story contains images that may distress some readers.
Former dryland and sheep farmer, now apiarist, Ian Cass said the mouse plagues of 1993 and 2011 were some of the worst he experienced in his Riverland home.
"There were millions. If you went down to the farm shed at night, the whole area was just moving with mice," he said.
"The paddocks stunk. Mice were chewing off grain as it was coming up and you didn't know whether to sow or not."
Mr Cass said he had already seen mouse numbers slowly building up in parts of the region, particularly when driving at night.
"They're incredibly destructive, they do a lot of damage to farm machinery, stock feed and hay," he said.
"If it stays mild and we get a little bit of light rain to bring up feed, there could be problems.
"If it gets very wet and very cold, it'll hopefully kill them, but it doesn't always work, sometimes they move into the sheds and houses instead."
Early management key
University of Sydney associate professor Matthew Crowther said current conditions were favourable for the beginning of another mouse plague in South Australia.
"There's been a good amount of rainfall for the last couple years, and quite good crop yields," he said.
"It's the perfect storm for mice."
The wildlife expert said early management was key due to the quick breeding cycle of the animal.
"You can put poisons out … but the problem is if you put it out too late, you've just ended the peak a bit earlier, but you've spent a lot of money and have a lot of damage," he said.
"Any management needs to be done really early."
Some Riverland residents shared their mouse sightings on social media, noting they had found dead mice in air conditioners and hot plates, with some catching up to six in a night.
In more populated areas, Mr Crowther recommended people should maintain their backyards to ensure there were no hiding spaces for mice.
"You don't want to give them a nice place to hang out before they get into your house," he said.
Agricultural analyst Dennis Voznesenski said primary producers could consider more permanent on-farm storage options as a way to discourage mice from settling in.
He said he had already seen increased investment in options like silos and bunkers in SA, following a trend from NSW farmers who dealt with a range of challenges last year.
"In NSW, the floods came, the heavy rains came and the mice came, and the [farmers] realised their crops were going to be significantly downgraded," he said.
"Now there's a more advanced permanent on farm storage investment there, so they don't run into the same problems again."
