Red imported fire ants are a reportable pest. Although the current area of infestation is in south east Queensland and northern New South Wales, anyone suspecting they have seen a fire ant nest should contact their state Biosecurity department.
Information for Queensland residents:
Early detection is essential to control the spread of fire ants. Under the Biosecurity Act 2014, fire ants are a category 1 restricted pest and you are required to notify Biosecurity Queensland if you think you see them. Phone Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23 or complete the online yard check report form. There are a variety of options for fire ant treatment for homeowners. More information on fire ant management in QLD.
Information for NSW Residents:
There are current infestations under management in South Murwillumab and Wardell. All NSW residents and anyone entering NSW from QLD need to be comply with the NSW Biosecurity (Fire Ant) Emergency Order.
More information on the National Fire Ant Eradication Program.
RIFA
Invasive
Tend to build nests in disturbed areas, often next to rocks, logs, posts, pavers and paths. Will also build nests in lawns / pasture areas.
Latest information on where fire ants have been found in Australia and New Zealand.
It prefers moist, disturbed habitats – areas around human population are ideal. Typically, it nests outdoors in soil and under rocks / pavers. Sometimes it will nest indoors in wall cavities and plug sockets.
There are two variants of the red important fire ant:
Monogyne nests can contain up to 250,000 individuals and produce alates (flying ants) that can disperse over 500 m before mating and setting up new colonies. They will defend their territory aggressively against other ants (including other fire ants).
Polygynous colonies can contain hundreds of queens and create new nests through budding – a queen takes a few workers and brood to set up a nest nearby. Through this process the polygynous variant can create super-colonies with a mound density of 220 mounds per hectare containing up to 50 million ants.
Both variants are present in the Queensland incursion.
New research has uncovered how a supergene explains fire ant colony structure.
Colour: Shiny red/brown to dark brown (on the abdomen)
Size: 2.0 – 6.0 mm (workers are of variable size)
Nodes on petiole: 2
Their colour and variable size of worker are key identification features.
Red imported fire ants show a preference for protein / oil, feeding on insects and other animals (alive and dead) and seeds. However, they show a preference for carbohydrate in the cooler months, when presumably they don’t require protein for nest growth. They will tend sap feeding insects to collect honeydew and feed on plant nectaries to get this carbohydrate.
Their nests, once 1-2 years old, become visible as a noticeable mound of dirt which has an open structure with no obvious opening. When the nest is disturbed the ants pour out of the nest in a highly aggressive manner.
The general public can help prevent the spread by remaining vigilant and reporting any suspected infestations.
In addition, the prevention measures legislation by the government restrict the movement of soil and materials from the infestation areas.
Being so small, finding little ant nests if very difficult. The best way is using detection dogs and sausages! Learn more about how to detect little fire ants.
A history of red important fire ants, their potential impact and control programs – The fire ant threat in Australia.
The Eradication program is using fire ant detection dogs.
Official information on the National Fire Ant Eradication Program
Go to the ants page for more species of ants.
All fire ant treatments come under the control of the Biosecurity department of the Queensland Government. Biosecurity have an ongoing baiting program to treat infested areas several times a year. They also have a number of teams to treat new infestations reported by the public.
If a homeowner, business owner or farmer suspects they have fire ants on their property, they should submit a report to Biosecurity. They will send out a team to confirm (or otherwise), collect a sample for identification / genetic analysis and carry out a treatment.
However, it can take several weeks for Biosecurity to complete an assessment. If the property owner cannot or doesn’t want to wait, two self-management options are available:
If you intend to treat the problem yourself, one of the registered fire ant baits should be used. Follow the instructions on the label and apply the bait when the ants are active, making sure the ground is dry and no rain is forecast.
By engaging a pest professional it provides the benefit that they should take care of the treatment and all reporting requirements. Professional Pest Managers are also able carry out direct nest injection treatments as well as bait treatments. Direct nest treatments will be more expensive but will eliminate the nest immediately. The other advantages of using a professional is that they will inspect your entire property for fire ant nests you may have missed and will also be able to carry out other pest control services at the same time if you so wish.
Fire ant baits are granular baits that contain an attractive food source and slow acting insecticide. The ants take the baits back to the nest where it is feed to other nest members and importantly the queen – kill the queen and you kill the colony.
It can take a couple of weeks to completely eliminate the nest, Using baits are a smart way to control fire ants as you do not have to find every single nest – by spreading bait over the infested area the ants will find the bait taking it back to the nests.
However, it is important to apply enough product for the number of nests / fire ants present (sometimes a second application is necessary). It is also important to make sure the bait is only applied to dry ground and when fire is not forecast for 12 hours or so – fire ants don’t like soggy bait!
Fire ants are a shiny red / brown ant, typically with a dark brown / black abdomen. The worker ants come in a range of sizes from 2.0 mm long to a large 6.0 mm long worker, with large heads.
Fire ants start to build an obvious nest mound after only a couple of months. They product a mound of dirt with a crispy outer layer, but will no obvious entrance / exit holes. As the nest matures it can grow to 60 cm or in diameter and 30 cm or more high (although sometimes the next can appear as a flat area of bare ground). The mounds will be built in open pasture / areas of lawn in large infestations, but often they will be built next to hard objects – beside logs and tree stumps, fencing, edge of pavements, etc.
The way to confirm identification of a fire ant nes is to probe the mound with a stick – ants will emerge rapidly in great numbers, attacking the stick aggressively.
The distinctive nest mounds made of dirt, of red imported fire ants
The easiest way to identify fire ants is by spotting their nests. Even after a few months, a nest mount starts to become visible. They produce a mound of dirt, often against a vertical hard objective with no obvious entrance. There are no other ants in Australia that produce nests like this. If you probe the nest with a stick (be careful), the ants will erupt from the nest in an aggressive manner.
As the ants typically forage at ground level amongst the grass, they can be hard to spot… until you get stung! Although it may be diffcult to tell fire ants from some other ant species (to the untrained eye), their aggressive nature and very painful sting is a big giveaway.
Fire ants are an invasive species to Australia. Without any natural predators and their rapid rate of reproduction, they will spread rapidly. The climate of much of Australia, especially the coastal areas, is ideal for fire ants.
If they become established and spread, they will have three big impacts on the Australian way of life:
Fire ants can be killed directly with nest injection of insecticide or through the use of fire ant baits, which can be used to treat individual nests or treat large areas of infestation.