Not sure what old Binoy is whining about this time? Unless this is just another issue where he can show how those evil white people have buggered everything up, including the ecology? Which makes you wonder why Binoy or his family wanted to leave their former homeland and live with us in the first place? Since white people largely invented the modern world, why foreigners want to live with us while always complaining about the society we created is beyond me?

If you would really like to know how screwy Binoy and his "social progresive" comrades are, a spokeswoman for PETA suggested that "the guvmint" should subject all of the trillions of mice in Australia to "catch and release." Really. Fair Dinkum. Honest injun. She really said it.

Binoy should be grateful that Scott Morrison and the Libs are in federal power. If it was Labor, they would certainly take PETA seriously, like they do every screwy left wing proposal. One hopes that the "guvmint" would then release a few trillion mice in Binoy's backyard.

Take a 44 gal drum, cut the top out.

Take a tallie, put a rock in a sock. then slide the sock over the lower half of the tallie. Then put a cork of cheese in the neck of the bottle, the smellier the better. Then knock a couple of holes near the top of the drum just a little wider than the bottle.

Find the point of balance for the bottle and rock in the sock. Then wire it to the top of the drum with a circle of wire through the holes, so that something a little heavier can tip the bottle forward.

Then quarter fill the drum with water. Build a little ladder, plank with small pieces of timber nailed on that will allow a mouse to ascend easily. Sprinkle the water with bran and pollard or similar.

Make as many of them as you can to maximise the take. Use a net on a pole every morning to empty the drum(s) Tip into the toilet and flush.

Do not overload the toilet but tip as needed so as to eliminate the possibility of unintended blockages.

This will also activate a sluggish septic system.

Replace water and floating material as needed. This method will take out all the pest mice and or rats until they are all eliminated and without needing to use any other bait or poison. After each catch, the system will reset automatically for the next target(s). And caught by the hundreds daily. Until they are all eliminated from our silos or grain/food storage! I personally guarantee it!

Alternatively, you may care to bury them in the paddock where you grow grain? If the numbers are too large for your septic system.

They will become organic fertilizer with time and not ever wasted.

Patent pending. Send $5.00 to P.O. Box 555 Nanango 4615 for each device you care to build. But only if you can afford it.

Honour system currently. But may change with time if abused!
Alan B.

A mate of mine with a wheat & grain property near Dalby suffered a similar plague about 10 years ago. The whole grain area was effected. He used a similar trap to Alan's, but with rollers across the top of the drums, & some molasses in the water as attractant.

They had 6 of these going at one stage, & had to empty them a couple of times a night as the water was quickly filled with mice bodies. Their plague lasted until winter stopped the breeding.

They were also poisoning with the bait under sheets of galvanised corrugated iron to keep it away from most wildlife. I visited during the period, & was amazed at how many ran for cover when he picked up one end of a sheet of iron.

Seems normal in parts of Australia for mouse plagues to occur every few years with overall numbers dropping off with onset of cold weather but sometimes more seeking refuge warmer places. Especially houses. Think by far the worst mouse plague in Victoria that I remember was in 1970. Now I wonder if Binoy has ever visited an area while a serious mouse plague was occurring? With the way he has written about it, seems to me not. Probably has no comprehension of the numbers around and the messes and damage they cause. Including him slinging off at some effective poisons. Responsible users try to lay them in ways to minimise non target species being effected. However, criticism is something like that directed against sodium monofluoracetate or 1080 against larger animal pests. Nobody likes using it because can be sometimes very nasty. There are many ill informed people who because of this maintain it should be banned. However, they often do not comprehend that with proper baiting practices, unintended poisonings are usually low. Also, it can reduce serious environmental consequences from proliferation of the pests at times when there are limited practicable means of relatively quick effective keeping numbers in check available.