The deadly bush mouse plague will hit Sydney’s suburbs in August as rodents on trucks and in food pallets catch an elevator
- NSW farmers and rural residents have been battling mouse plague for months
- There are new reports of mouse sightings in Sydney’s west with homes damaged
- Pest control expert predicts the scourge will reach the port city by August
- Scientists say the plague will peak in winter and that it could last two years
A mouse plague that has plagued rural parts of New South Wales is expected to reach Sydney in August after rodents were caught moving elevators into the city over trucks and food pallets.
Farmers and rural residents in much of the interior of the country have been battling the scourge for months as mouse infestation devours crops, contaminates water supplies and bites homeowners.
But the plight is gradually spreading in Sydney. New sightings were recorded this week in the western suburbs of homes in Erskine Park and Parramatta.
And top scientists say the infestation is unlikely to settle beyond winter – instead, it will rise – when mice flock to homes for shelter and warmth.
The mouse plague (pictured) that has plagued parts of NSW inland is set to hit Sydney in August, a pest expert has warned
Kevin Joyce Pest Management technician Dieter Mafra said the mice would swarm into the port city over the next two months, likely hitchhiking inside on engine shafts, trucks, cars and crates of food.
“You will be leaving for Sydney by August,” he told the Daily Telegraph.
“Obviously there are already mice and rats around here, and in hotter conditions they usually move to the beaches where there is water – they take anywhere from 2ml to 5ml per day.
“But with the colder winter conditions, they’ll be looking for rooftops inside houses and could get a free ride on transport here.”
Although NSW’s Central West is hardest hit by the plague, the Mouse Alert map, based on reported sightings, shows outbreaks in numerous cities on Australia’s east coast from Melbourne to Brisbane.
Videos posted to social media show the pests pouring into Sydney from crevices in rural NSW, and mice have been reported rummaging through a charity’s scrap inventory in Newtown, in the inner west of the city.
Scientists say the plague won’t subside in winter as mice flock to homes for shelter and warmth
ABC Pest Control’s Bree Daniels said that Sydneysiders who have never had a mouse infestation could experience a “home invasion” during the winter months when rodents flock to warm rooftops.
However, Sydney University expert Associate Professor Matthew Crowther said the city is unlikely to attract millions of mice because there are no food crops like rural areas.
CSIRO’s lead research specialist, Dr. Peter Brown said epidemics can last two years and they are currently monitoring 30 sites across the state with the problem.
Danica Leys, executive director of NSW’s Country Women’s Association, said the relentless problem is mentally stressful for residents.
She said people got sick from drinking contaminated water, being bitten, mice chewing electrical wires, eating white goods in kitchen pantries, and passing everything through linen.
A woman who slept in Goulburn woke up in the middle of the night with a mouse running through her tent (pictured)
A truck driver driving between Tamworth and Dubbo said he was forced to spend hours cleaning mice remains away from his vehicle.
Farmers have described the crippling plague as devastating for their livelihoods. The New South Wales government recently announced a $ 50 million aid package to address the problem.
Some farmers estimated they had lost between $ 50,000 and $ 150,000 in losses from destroying grain and forage, according to the NSW Farmers Grains Committee.
In addition, a survey of farmers in the NSW area found that more than 80 percent had sustained significant damage to machinery and infrastructure from mice.
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