mouse plague?

[wobbly]

Hey all
I've heard rumours just today of a huge mouse plague around Alice Springs- at least in the eastern mcdonnalds. Stories are that the place is absolutely crawling with mice and they are eating their way into tents multiple times and that its impossible to sleep out because of them.

Are there any members on from Alice or who have been walking/camping there recently that can advise on the veracity of these stories and if the Larapinta trail is simliarly affected.

thanks
Peter

[jez_au]

There are certainly plenty of mouse plagues around the country at the mo. The NT Parks and Wildlife Service advises of mouse problems on the Larapinta at the moment. Yes I too would be very interested to hear about how this has affected hikers.

[north-north-west]

For one thing, you'll be seeing a lot more letter-winged kites around. Which is good.

[MountainMadness]

Yeah its bad. One of the worst myself and my folks have seen over the past 40 years. There are plenty of mice around but what has made it a lot worse is the long haired rat, which is rare in those parts.

I was up there a few weeks ago. I saw a few (mice - no rats though) around the house at dusk. I camped up on top of the MacDonnell Range and saw none. They are generally scared of people. Crop damage and wire damage (they love chewing through wires) is the main problem.

You would be mad to pitch a tent there 95% of the time anyway! It's the best star show around!!!

[LAMEA-Gals]

Heading up to Larapinta at the end of the month and had heard about the mice problem and about the track being overgrown with vegetation because of the rain (National Parks were due to clear). Back on the mouse issue - I have had mice munch through a tent, backpack and raincoat over the years leaving nasty holes to repair. What's the best way to stash your food - hanging in a bag in a tree? I have tried doing the half plastic bottle on the string to stop them climbing down the string to the food bag but they can be little gymnists and swing around the bottle.... anyone have better techniques?

[north-north-west]

... anyone have better techniques?

Sitting up all night with a shotgun?

[Nuts]

There is even a mini plague here rats and mice, I know when they are bad cause theres always one rat that seems to make itself at home in the house walls.

Normally when theres heavy mouse numbers I see at least one in the house. This time I actually fried one in the toaster. I was half way through a slice when it dawned on me what the odd singed smell could be...

[ILUVSWTAS]

... anyone have better techniques?

Sitting up all night with a shotgun?

Purchase a thousand mouse traps and one huge block of jarlsberg??

[north-north-west]

I've been told peanut butter works better 'cause it's impossible to get it off without springing the trap.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Yeh I'd heard the same thing, but during a plague of our own several years ago I used traps with cheese, chocolate and peanut butter. The cheese one caught at least 5-1.

Couple of years ago MJD had a minor infestation at his house, he used the zappers and caught 40 odd in one weekend!! He lives near bonorong park so they gave all the carcasses to them to feed the raptors!! Pretty neat huh!!

[rogo]

Kit Kats. They love them.

We had a mouse plague at the Blackwood hut on the Bibb a couple of weeks ago. One guy had one sniffing around on his face whilst he slept. YUK!

[north-north-west]

Kit Kats. They love them.

I am not wasting good chocolate on a rodent. Not even the non-human variety.

[jez_au]

It might be a question of how many mice before they start targeting tents. If you only see a few around camp then they seem to be too scared to approach. See lots, well, you already know then they are not scared of you (or your tent) and you may be in for an annoying night. I would have thought the lots of mice variety was more constrained to crop areas than desert, but I'd be keen to hear more hiker's reports of this season's conditions, and if people took extra measures to protect their food (and if it worked).

[bbrown]

I recently just returned from hiking the larapinta trail for 4 nights and 5 days. YES there are tons of mice. If it weren't for the mice, it would have been a perfect trip. This is what they do:

They come out at night
They crawl all over the tent
THey crawl underneath the tent to get warm
THey try to get into your bag for food
At one campsite there were so many mice you couldn't see the ground.

We still survived though. However, we slept with a flashlight on all nights to help scare them away. The first two nights, I probalby got 4 hours of sleep because they kept crawling all over the tent, and we were worried they would chew threw the tent. They slowly disappear when it gets too cold, around 2 in the morning. To top this all off, the last night, on section 1 of the trail, 30 mice got into my bag and ate half our food. I had secured my bag very well, but they still managed to get in. If i were to go back, I would bring a bombproof food bag and hang it in a tree, far away from our campsite. Whatever you do, don't bring food into your tent. Good luck, and i think the mice will start disappearing when it gets too cold.

[Liamy77]

get ready for an increase in the snake population soon then.....

[jez_au]

I recently just returned from hiking the larapinta trail for 4 nights and 5 days. YES there are tons of mice.

Thanks for letting us know about your recent experiences bbrown. Last season I did not see a single mouse, am returning this August to finish the trail off. Saw a few mice in the Flinders in April but they were generally too scared of us (or didn't keep us awake) -- but nothing like your story from central Australia.

[LAMEA-Gals]

Just returned yesterday from doing the Mt sonder to Ellery Creek section of the Larapinta. The mice are certainly at all campsites and you have got to tie your food up in a tree. Serpentine Gorge seemed to have the worst plague with another party having had mice chew through the roof of their tent. Another women showed me her thermals which had been chewed through when she left them on a rock near her tent. They are cute at first but then you get a little jaded of banging your tent at night to keep them away. At least the owls are happy.....

[Dale]

I just spoke to someone who has moved to Alice Springs and apparently the rodents are still out in force. I was thinking of doing part of the Larapinta Trail in Sept, has anyone else heard anything new on our furry friends ?

[jez_au]

I've got some friends out there walking this week, so should be able to post back some current info when they get back. Which is good since I head out there in a month's time too.

[Dale]

I've got some friends out there walking this week, so should be able to post back some current info when they get back. Which is good since I head out there in a month's time too.

Excellent !

It's not that I don't mind sharing campsites and all, but I reckon I'd draw the line at a few hundred mice.

[wobbly]

Heading up there tomorrow myself. According to the Parkies today (29/7) mice are no longer a problem. Still with conflicting reports I guess I will know for sure by tomorrow night.

[jez_au]

with conflicting reports

Yeah we need reports from walkers who have hiked and camped the trail, not townies with reports of conditions in Alice. A few mice are easy to manage.

Let us know how you go!

[Dale]

Heading up there tomorrow myself. According to the Parkies today (29/7) mice are no longer a problem. Still with conflicting reports I guess I will know for sure by tomorrow night.

Hi Wobbly - do you have any news on our fine furry friends ?

[Dale]

Checked in with the rangers today and according to them - the mice have left the building... Apparently there are a few recalcitrants still wandering around but the biblical proportions are no more.

[jez_au]

That's exellent, thanks Dale.

[photohiker]

Came down the Birdsville track last week (vehicle, not hiking) Saw bits of the road moving at times

Flinders campground people we spoke to have been through hell with rodents, but we hardly saw any there, certainly none around the campsite at night.

[nakedape]

Yeh I'd heard the same thing, but during a plague of our own several years ago I used traps with cheese, chocolate and peanut butter. The cheese one caught at least 5-1.

Couple of years ago MJD had a minor infestation at his house, he used the zappers and caught 40 odd in one weekend!!

We've just been through a plague (Riverland SA) and we needed no bait on our traps - just the lingering smell of baits from weeks before. We'd take up to 20 from the house each night and a further 20 or more from the shed. We used bottle traps in the shed - disgusting stuff

[wobbly]

Just got back from doing the sections from Redbank Gorge through to Ellery Creek. Saw two mice at Ormiston but none anywhere else and had no problems with food being eaten so it wasn't just a case of not seeing them, they are effectively gone.
Mind you the *&%$#! mossies where a pain- couldn't sleep out because of them. Quite a lot of water around so they've bred up.

[Dale]

Cheers for that Wobbly.

I'll make sure I take plenty of DEET !

[waggy]

hi kids, im off on the larapinta as of wed the 24th of aug. heading west. any changes in trail conditions, mouse plauges, etc that might be worth knowing would be greatly appreciated....im excited about this walk!!