A colony of at least 800 rabbits has infested valuable farming land in the Lockyer Valley, west of Brisbane, prompting authorities to take urgent action to eradicate the animals.

The Darling Downs and Moreton Rabbit Board (DDMRB) said it was shocked by the size of the infestation, which stretches about 800 metres along the banks of Tenthill Creek and contains more than 400 active warrens.

After being alerted by a farmer in October, the DDMRB surveyed 42 kilometres of the creek to find the source of the infestation.

DDMRB acting chief executive David Stevenson told the ABC he was deeply concerned by the rabbit colony.

The rabbits have eaten half a field of lucerne and damaged a lettuce crop.

"This effectively is what we call a hot spot," he said.

DDMRB employees inspect a warren and use satellite technology to map it. ( ABC News: Matt Watson )

"We certainly are treating this area with a high priority."

To assist in the eradication program, the DDMRB ordered a controlled burn several weeks ago and released the rabbit calicivirus.

"We need to make sure that we marginalise them as quickly as possible," Mr Stevenson said.

You never get them all, you're just keeping the numbers down

Fifth generation farmer, Anthony Staatz, said he began to notice rabbits and crop damage on his farm in 2009.

"Initially we weren't too concerned about it, they weren't causing a big impact on us financially," he said.

Mr Staatz and his four boys headed into the paddocks at night to shoot them.

"It'd be nothing for us to shoot 50 or 60 in a night," he said.

"It seemed to keep them under control for a little while.

"Prior to the floods in 2011 they were starting to build up in numbers."

Mr Staatz said he thought the flood would have wiped out the local population, but they had rebounded quickly.

He put out poison baits prior to planting in winter.

"Other than that it's just shooting," he said.

"It is an expensive exercise and it consumes a lot of hours and they're always hours at night time.

"It takes a lot of effort, you never get them all, you're just keeping the numbers down."

Mr Staatz said every farmer in the Lockyer Valley had to help eradicate rabbits.

"It needs to be a regional response, one farmer alone isn't going to solve the problem so we need everybody to get involved.

"The main issue is that we've got an opportunity to maybe not eradicate but certainly keep them to numbers where they're not having such a big financial impact.

"Obviously that's a lot cheaper than if we let them get out of control and then it will have a massive impact."

He said creek banks were a haven for rabbits.

"At their worst, we were finding up to 200 rabbits across the creek bank," Mr Staatz said.

"If you're a rabbit, it's paradise and the (Lockyer) creek bank runs the length of the valley, it's 30, 40 kilometres long.

"They've got a very good habitat to move and to shelter in."

Agriculture worth more $270 million a year

Lockyer Valley Regional Council Mayor Steve Jones said the infestation could be devastating for the valley.

A rabbit warren on the banks of Tenthill Creek - there are more than 400 warrens in a small section of the creek. ( ABC News: Matt Watson )

"In the past rabbits haven't been a major problem but they're now affecting farms here," he said.

"The produce is really valuable, at a time where people are wanting our produce and to have yet another pest is a major problem for people."

Cr Jones said if farmers saw rabbits or suspected they had them on their property, they were required to advise the DDMRB and conduct control methods.

Mr Stevenson said nearby farmers have been shocked at the extent of the infestation.

"They knew the rabbits were here, but they probably didn't know the extent of the active burrows," he said.

Earth moving equipment ripped and crushed more than 400 warrens along Tenthill Creek. ( ABC News: Matt Watson )

"This is really the salad bowl and we need to make sure there is a very low impact.

"People need to understand that they're a destructive animal, they multiply at a very fast rate."

Councillor Jones said people in the Lockyer Valley have no experience in dealing with the problem.

"They're not really aware of rabbits, they're not looking for them and they don't understand how to treat them," he said.

"They way they breed, within a very short time they could be a major problem.

"It's very urgent that we do something with them because at the rate that they destroy crops, it could be very expensive."

UQ student examines eradication methods

University of Queensland honours student Shannon Minnis used cameras, traps and radio collars on five rabbits to study the rabbit population.

She is also studying the impact of different control methods.

Shannon Minnis is studying the impact of various control methods on the Tenthill Creek population. ( ABC News: Matt Watson )

"We're looking to see that the burning, the shooting and all the different control methods that they're doing, to see if that has any effect," she said.

"From the data I've been seeing, there has been a very big reduction in rabbit numbers.

She said the controlled burn killed a lot of rabbits.

Two rabbits wearing radio collars died as a result of the fire, another was shot and one disappeared.

The sole rabbit she was tracking remained alive in the same burrow.

"It (fire) can get rid of some rabbits but there will always be some remaining," she said.

"It's good to maybe stop the breeding, so they're a bit off edge, and then another method can come and destroy them, completely eradicate them.

"We're hoping to see that the rabbits will stop breeding and that it has some negative effect on them."

Populations can grow very quickly

Ms Minnis said rabbits could have up to four litters a year and farmers needed to conduct regular inspections of their property to look for rabbit droppings, eaten seedlings or plants and warrens.

"A few rabbits can very quickly breed up to a lot of rabbits and cause a lot of damage," she said.

Shannon Minnis picks up a signal from the last remaining rabbit wearing a radio collar. ( ABC News: Matt Watson )

"Under Queensland law, landholders are required to control rabbits on their property, and do some drastic control methods like fumigation, poisoning or shooting to get rid of the adult rabbits."

Mr Stevenson said it was unclear why the rabbits colonised this section of the creek.

"We would suspect possibly an introduction in this region, possibly in 2011," he said.

"They have been protected by the harbour of the creek, the overgrown areas so they could live quite comfortably here.

"We're now excavating those burrows as best we can to destroy the rabbits that are there.

"This is the ultimate clean-up that we're undertaking now but we'll be back to continue monitoring the area."

Mr Stevenson urged Lockyer Valley landholders to contact the DDMRB if they see rabbits or suspect they are on their property.