SQUEAKER OF THE HOUSE
Traps flying off shelves, pest controllers flat out as Geelong gripped by plague.
PEST controllers are being run off their feet pursuing rodents around Geelong as a mouse plague wreaks havoc for Australian farmers.
Geelong Pest Control operations manager Mitch Bogard said there had definitely been an increase in mice and rats.
“We’re getting smashed with calls,” he said.
Mr Bogard estimated 90 per cent of the calls relating to mice were coming from areas with high levels of new development, such as Armstrong Creek and Charlemont, where mice would run into homes because ground nearby was being disturbed.
This was compounded by an abnormally high number of mice due to breeding, he said.
“There’s more than we’ve seen for years,” Mr Bogard said.
“It’s even getting to the point where our suppliers are struggling to keep up with it.”
Tom Grayling, owner of Newtown hardware store Grayling’s Store, has “definitely” seen an increase in mouse trap sales.
“We’ve sold out … it’s pretty hard to get traps at the moment,” Mr Grayling said.
“There’s a delay with items coming from China.”
The store had been sold out of traps for about a week, and was also running low on rodent poison, he said.
WE’RE GETTING SMASHED WITH CALLS. THERE’S
MORE THAN WE’VE
SEEN FOR YEARS.
GEELONG PEST CONTROL’S MITCH BOGARD
Mr Grayling said he believed that other stores were also encountering the same issues.
He said the Newtown area experienced an influx of rats over summer, and he understood a mouse plague was emerging on the outskirts of Geelong.
An Agriculture
Victoria spokeswoman said the agency was aware of some parts of the state where there were currently increased numbers of mice, however there was no current information to suggest that there was a significant mouse problem in the Geelong region.
“Agriculture Victoria is closely monitoring the situation and supporting farmers with management advice,” she said.
Mice numbers can build up over a two-year life cycle, which is helped by good food sources and mild weather conditions.
Farmers can subscribe to Mouse Alert, which shares mouse activity observed, at mousealert.org.au