Australia, Victoria Farmers fear locust plague after mice

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Farmers fear locust plague after mice
Jennifer Macey reported this story on Thursday, July 15, 2010 12:38:00

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ELEANOR HALL: The rains in recent months may have ended the drought for many farmers but they've also produced perfect conditions for mice and locusts.

Already the worst mouse plague in decades has seen mice devour hundreds of thousands of hectares of grain crops on farms in Victoria and South Australia.

And as farmers prepare for a second plague in spring scientists are now warning that they should prepare for an early and severe locust plague as Jennifer Macey reports.

JENNIFER MACEY: Craig Kelsh has been farming wheat and sheep for 25 years on the west coast of the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. In that time he says he's never seen a mouse plague like this.

He estimates he's lost about 10 per cent of his crop and has had to burn hay where the mice have been nesting.

CRAIG KELSH: They've done a lot of damage to our sheep feed and our hay. You know they've done that area like any grain that was in the ground from harvest which is you know usually really good sheep feed. They cleaned all that up and sorted all our hay.

Some of our hay stacks, there are people burning them over there now. I've got a couple, I know one that I'll probably have to burn. But yeah, we've got three so far not too bad. We've done a lot of baiting. Probably should have done more in hindsight. Probably should have done it earlier.

I've had some really good results with baiting with the Mouseoff product and also had some poorer results because my numbers were just so high.

JENNIFER MACEY: Australia is unique in the world for mouse plagues. Swarms of up to a thousand mice per hectare only occur in south-eastern Australia.

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JENNIFER MACEY: But just as farmers get a grip on the mouse plague scientists are now warning that this year will see a plague from another pest - the locust.

Chris Adriaansen is the director of the Australian Plague Locust Commission.

CHRIS ADRIAANSEN: We are predicting a very significant start to the locust season with a very wide-spread and high density hatching in large areas of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia come spring.

JENNIFER MACEY: Why is that?

CHRIS ADRIAANSEN: Well basically we had what I'm terming the perfect storm for locusts in the build-up at the end of last season. We had widespread and repeated rainfall across much of the locusts' habitat.

http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2010/s2954346.htm

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Australia, Victoria Farmers fear locust plague after mice

Farmers brace for worst locust plague in decades 09/08/2010 | 01:51 PM
(ABC)


The worst locust plague in 30 years is expected to hit regional New South Wales in the coming weeks, and the State Government has begun measures to control the outbreak.

Warmer than usual temperatures in the west have experts predicting that locusts will hatch in vast numbers around Warren, Coonamble, Brewarrina and Bourke by mid-August.

Minister for Primary Industries Steve Whan says more than $18 million is being committed to battling the locusts, but property owners need to do their part as well.

.../

Read more:
http://orange.iprime.com.au/index.p...ce-for-worst-locust-plague-in-decades,2976990

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Australia, Victoria Farmers fear locust plague after mice

Massive locust swarms descend on Victoria

Monday, 06/12/2010


A locust band found on the aerial observation run from Ouyen to Pinnaroo South. (DPI Victoria)

Huge swarms of locusts have descended on north-west Victorian communities.

They've forced the Donald and District Racing Club to move a race meet planned for today.

Locusts line the racecourse, like a black mat covering the grass.

Department of Primary Industries state locust director Rob Walker says they're heading south.

"We've got a weather front coming through in the next day or so. Locusts can often move considerable distances when we get strong warm winds associated with rain bearing fronts or lower pressure systems," he said.

"How far south they're going to move is very difficult to say."

Locust swarms up to 25 kilometres long are destroying vegetable crops in northern Victoria, threatening to cause shortages and price spikes.

Full text:
http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201012/s3085420.htm