Diagnosing mouse damage in narrow-leafed lupins
Mice are seasonal pests that can affect any crop. Usually they favour paddocks with high stubble retention.
What to look for
- Bare patches and chewed plants radiating out from mouse burrows.
- Plants with chewed stems and pods in spring with mouse holes nearby.
Paddock
- Poor germination, chewed plants.
- Stems gnawed from stem extension.
- Pods lopped and chewed along one side and seed eaten
Plant
What else could it be
| Condition | Similarities | Differences |
|---|---|---|
|
Birds
|
Birds also chew plants and pods near maturity, | Damage is worst near the paddock edge rather than near mouse burrows. |
Management strategies
Green bridge control
- Use in-crop baiting when damage occurs.
Use the following hygiene recommendations to minimise breeding:
- Minimise spilled grain or harvester grain loss in paddocks.
- Heavy grazing can help clean up high harvest grain losses, but sufficient ground cover should be left to minimise erosion potential.
- Clean up any concentrated spills of grain around field bins, augers and other grain storage.
- Remove or reduce cover, including plant material, rubbish and general clutter around buildings, silos and fodder storage.
Paddock operations to reduce damage include;
- Control weeds and volunteers along fence lines, crop margins and channel banks in autumn and before seed-set to minimise sources of food and shelter.
- Sow as evenly and as early as possible for each crop, to achieve rapid establishment of strong plants. Avoid dry sowing in high risk paddocks.
- Slightly increase seeding rates and sow as deeply as possible for each crop if mouse numbers are elevated at seeding.
- Cross harrow or roll after sowing to ensure good seed coverage and the removal of sowing lines.
See also
Further information
Where to go for expert help
Pest and Disease Information Service (PaDIS)
+61 (0)8 9368 3080
Page last updated: Tuesday, 5 July 2022 - 9:07am