An unexpected relief came from birds of prey such as falcons and magpies, which perched on power lines waiting for the mice to leave their hiding places, Kemp said. But the predatory birds were not enough to quell the rat infestation, as the farmer had to use gallons of rat bait every week to save his crops.
"We had to bait all our cropping country just before harvest. The mice were starting to eat the grain and eat the pods on the canola," Kemp said.
Emma Henderson was also dealing with the plague in her home in the town of Merriwa. She said that mice made a nest around her oven and pulled the insulation to make themselves more comfortable, causing the appliance to overheat and trip.
"I pulled the oven out with my son, and we found their little nest and a whole heap of insulation down the back of the wall, so I lost my oven, and the smell, oh the smell," she said. The mice also destroyed her freezer, juicer and air fryer, leaving her with a bill of more than 1,000 Australian dollars ($777). (Related: New York City is being forced to deploy an army of 10,000 cleanup workers in response to worsening problems with trash and rats.)
The growing mice population was the result of the rains that pummeled the region after a long period of drought, according to Thackray. She said that the drought killed the animals that preyed on the rats. So when it started raining, the rats flourished alongside the crops that fed the four-legged pests.
The journalist added that mice normally stop breeding early in the year, but the critters continued to multiply. A cold snap or rain might make things worse, she opined.Chiropractor targeted by FTC for selling vitamin D, zinc to fight the coronavirus speaks out
By News Editors // Share
Toxic “forever chemicals” found in fertilizers made from sewage sludge
By Divina Ramirez // Share
Prepper must-have: 7 Survival uses of potassium permanganate
By Zoey Sky // Share
Chinese army medical researchers bioengineered lab mice with “humanized lungs” to test coronaviruses
By Arsenio Toledo // Share
10 Valuable herbal remedies for easing cough symptoms
By ljdevon // Share
Higher fat content in meat SABOTAGES muscle growth post-workout
By ljdevon // Share
Former National Security Advisor John Bolton INDICTED over mishandling of classified documents
By ramontomeydw // Share
Durov: France at the forefront of eliminating PRIVACY in messaging apps
By ramontomeydw // Share
Aldi recalls ice cream because of an undeclared allergen
By oliviacook // Share
Protecting your mind: How healthy lifestyle choices can help slow cognitive decline
By dominguez // Share