NSW mouse plague predicted to reach Sydney by August

With winter approaching, the mouse plague infesting the bush will soon be hunting for domestic comforts — and could invade Sydney by August, experts warn.

The great mouse plague infesting the bush could ­invade Sydney by August, with warnings the rodents are hitchhiking on trucks and food pallets amid new reports of sightings in the western suburbs.

And top scientists predict winter may not spell the end of the nightmare for our ­besieged farmers and country residents, as some mice plagues have run for more than two years.

Interactive mapping of outbreaks across the state shows the extent of the problem, with hot spots recorded the length and breadth of the state, not just in the Central West.

The Mouse Alert map, based on sightings by farmers and country residents and funded by government agencies including the CSIRO, ­reported new sightings this week of “medium activity” and damage to a house at ­Erskine Park and Parramatta.

According to Kevin Joyce Pest Management technician Dieter Mafra, the mice are likely to migrate from the country on engine bays, trucks, cars and food pallets.

“They will travel to Sydney, I would say by August,” he said.

“There are already mice and rats here obviously, and with hotter conditions they usually move towards the beaches where there’s water — they need between 2ml and 5ml a day.

“But with the colder winter conditions they will be looking for domestic roofs in houses and could get a free ride on the transport here.”

The mental toll is as big as the financial one.

Cleaning out an auger and mice fall out.

ABC Pest Control’s Bree Daniels said the colder months would “produce a spike” in mice seeking shelter and warmth — and Sydney residents who’ve never had trouble before could face a “home invasion” from the pests.

Video footage on social media shows mice escaping from pallets on forklifts in country NSW, destined for Sydney.

And at Newtown, local Facebook groups are abuzz with reports of more rodent activity, including reports that scrap food collected for charities like Foodbank is being nibbled at and ruined.

Mice scatter in an oats storage shed on the Mumblepeg farm, 45 minutes east of Warren in the Dubbo region. Picture: David Swift

But University of Sydney expert Associate Professor Matthew Crowther said he did not believe Sydney would host millions of feral mice because the city does not have the food crops attracting them.

CSIRO principal research specialist Dr Peter Brown said authorities were monitoring about 30 sites and the mice were a problem right across the state.

“In terms of when numbers will fall, historically, when numbers are very high like this, mouse numbers crash sometime during May, June or July,” he said.

“We have a reasonable handle on when mouse numbers build up but we are ­unable to determine when numbers collapse — crash.

“However, sometimes mouse plagues can run over two years.”

Mice numbers are mind-boggling.

CWA of NSW chief executive Danica Leys.

Country Women’s Association of NSW chief executive Danica Leys said people have been getting sick from drinking contaminated water or being bitten.

“But the mental problem is an even larger issue — it is unrelenting,” she said.

“People just want to leave their home for respite but if they leave the mice take over.”

“It’s a war – there’s constant trapping, cleaning and baiting.

The mice are flocking to where the food is. Picture: David Swift

Warren farmer Ben Storer is pulling “300 mice a nigh” from his swimming pool.

“We’ve heard of people losing whitegoods in the kitchen with all the wires chewed out.

“Linen presses seem to be a favourite for the mice to get into and poo and wee in.”

One truck driver, who frequently drives between Dubbo and Tamworth, said he could spend half the day on weekends cleaning the remains of mice off his vehicle.

“At 11pm at night the road is covered with mice.

“They get squashed and they’re all up under the mudflaps, they stick to everything,” he said.

“We spend weekends cleaning mouse guts off the trucks.”