Mice and rats wreak havoc across parts of NSW, farmers fear for crops

A “carpet” of mice has blanketed parts of New South Wales, with farmers and townspeople working tirelessly to keep the rodents at bay.

Mice numbers have been on the rise in Merriwa in the Upper Hunter, extending to Tamworth and Moree in New England and into Queensland.

Mice start breeding at six weeks of age and can have a litter every 21 days after that, meaning a pair of mice can give rise to 500 offspring in a season.

The explosion in rodent numbers has led to a shortage of baits and mouse traps for people trying to deal with the infestation.

James Constable, a volunteer lawnmower at the Merriwa racecourse, said rodents lay low in the wet, but now that it was drier, they were everywhere.