La Niña has been wreaking havoc in NSW, but it – and the wet weather that preceded it – have at least helped to solve one problem.
Experts say the mouse plague is unlikely to return to inland New South Wales, but its end has come at a hefty price.The plague devastated crops in the state, damaged equipment and took a heavy mental toll
"Areas that are really wet will be not conducive to ongoing mouse breeding," CSIRO researcher Steve Henry said. "Recently I've travelled through most of central NSW from as far south as Coleambally up through to Burren Junction and we didn't find too many signs of mice," he said. "When farmers were seeing any sorts of numbers in their developing crops, they've gone in and baited them really hard, really early.Decaying mice on a farm in New South Wales.
"When farmers have an opportunity to harvest crops that are still standing, they're working really hard to get that crop off."So through the summer, we're saying while it's good that there aren't very many mice there now, we need to keep looking and make sure that they're not building up again through the summer, and be prepared to bait when we do see numbers of mice."People are being warned not to be complacent, given how rapidly the species can breed.