Rodents might be small, but they’re causing big problems for Australian growers — especially right now.
From macadamia orchards to grain silos, rats and mice are chewing through crops, infrastructure, and profits. And the situation is only getting worse.
🐭 Why rodent pressure is rising
According to Marquis Macadamias, growers across Australia are reporting record levels of rodent activity. In fact, 72% of surveyed macadamia growers said rodent damage was worse than previous years.
Rats are especially fond of macadamias — they chew through the shell to eat the nut inside. One female rat can produce up to 60 offspring a year, and with food and shelter readily available in orchards, they can quickly form damaging colonies.
🧾 What’s the cost?
Rodents don’t just eat the crop — they compromise infrastructure, bore holes into irrigation systems, chew electrical cabling, and contaminate feed stores.
Left unchecked, rat and mouse infestations can:
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Ruin high-value harvests
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Reduce yield quality
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Increase disease risk
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Trigger secondary pest outbreaks (like snakes and foxes)
In macadamia orchards, losses from rodent damage can exceed $5,000 per hectare.
✅ Control starts with prevention
Baiting alone won’t solve the problem. To really get on top of rodents, you need a combination of strategies:
✔️ Bait Stations
Now mandatory in and around fruit orchards, these help you monitor and control populations safely and effectively — especially important where native species are present.
✔️ Rodenticides
Use high-quality baits in tamper-proof stations. Austral Ag stocks a full range to suit your situation.
✔️ Cage Traps & Snap Traps
In sensitive or high-traffic areas, mechanical traps still play an important role — especially near storage sheds or under machinery.
✔️ Infrastructure Checks
Keep grass short, clean up fallen nuts or grain, and block access points into sheds, silos and gear.
🦘 Know your natives
Australia is home to over 60 species of native rodents — many of which are beneficial, seed-spreading and insect-controlling parts of the ecosystem.
Common native rats include the Bush Rat (Rattus fuscipes) and Water Rat (Hydromys chrysogaster). These are generally shy, don’t form large colonies, and rarely pose a risk to crops.
Identifying the difference between native rodents and invasive species (like the black rat or brown rat) is essential for ethical and effective pest management.
🛠️ Need help finding the right gear?
Austral Ag stocks a full range of rodent control equipment to suit Aussie farms, large and small. If you’re not sure what you need, give us a call or drop into the Toowoomba store — we’re farmers too, and we know what works.
📍 Shop rodent control products
📞 Toowoomba – (07) 4588 6789 | ✉️ [email protected]