The Management Of House Mice In Agricultural Landscapes Using Farm Management Practices: An Australian Perspective

Authors

Peter R. Brown, CSIRO Wildlife and Ecology
Grant R. Singleton, CSIRO Wildlife and Ecology
S. Clare Dunn, Victorian Institute for Dryland Agriculture

Date of this Version

1998

Document Type

Article

Citation

Proceedings 18^th Vertebrate Pest Conference, ed. R.O. Baker & A.C. Crabb. Published at University of California, Davis, 1998.

Comments

Copyright 1998 by the authors

Abstract

During 1995 to 1997, the efficacy of early tactical management of mouse populations in a project based on grain-growing farms in Victoria, Australia was examined. Farmers modified their management practices of crops (at sowing, harvest, and land preparation), and managed habitats on the boundary of cropped land (such as fencelines) and around farm buildings. One management practice examined was the effect on mouse populations of controlling weeds along margins of crops. On sites where farmers slashed or sprayed weeds in early spring, there was a comparative reduction in the abundance of mice in late summer compared to untreated sites.