Australia's fire ant invasion problem has moved from concerns about chronic eradication program underfunding to non-compliance of property owners fuelled by Facebook discussion

 

For the last forty-three years that invasive species, the Fire Ant, has been increasing in number and territory until now it infests around 830,000 ha in South East Queensland, close to the Qld-NSW border, and in recent years has been found as far south in New South Wales as Murwillumbah in November 2023 and Wardell, near Ballina, in January 2024.

The Fire Ant infestation program began to move beyond a target of total eradication to one of suppression and containment after the Queensland Newman Coalition Government in 2012 cut 45 jobs from its fire ant eradication program and reduced state funding by 50 per cent to about $1.1 million for the next year.

In an August 2023 media release the Invasive Species Council revealed the existence of government documents that detailed at least a $49 million shortfall in fire ant funding for 2023/24, risking the spread of the super pest across Australia.

"The explosive documents reveal that, due to insufficient funding, eradication and surveillance on the ground in Queensland this year has been cut in half from what is needed.

They also reveal that there will be no systematic action to stop the westward or northern spread of fire ants, with action confined to stopping the spread into NSW."

Mainstream and social media are now reporting espisodes involving non-compliant property owners and "government eradicators".

Non-compliance increases the risk infestations will spread even further across Queenland and deeper into New South Wales.

Quotes from Facebook account "Stop the toxic fire ant poisoning":

• "Pseudoscience, false and misleading information, and complete lies and gaslighting are used to justify their dangerous approach to eradicate fire ants, which many experts publicly state is now impossible."

• "The toxic fire ant eradication program by the Australian Government is killing dogs, cats, cows, horses, bees, birds and many other animals and insects.
  This is how to stop them entering your property..."

It is noted that the two insecticides currently listed as used in the Qld fire ant eradication program are hydramethylnon & pyriproxyfen.  Both products approved by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) and commonly found in cockroach baits or flea collars. While in NSW APVMA-approved pyriproxyfen, s-methoprene and fipronil are used, with the latter approved only for direct injection into fire ant nests.

The Daily Telegraph, "Bombshell report reveals fire ants could kill six people a year, cost homes $110m+", 13 October 2024, excerpts:

A notorious pest could cause up to six deaths, lead to 116,000 medical visits and cost households $118m a year if allowed to spread uncontrolled across one Aussie state, a bombshell report has found.

The chilling warning comes as biosecurity authorities scramble to contain the spread of the red imported fire ant, which has rapidly spread across Queensland and even extended down into NSW.

But recent eradication attempts in Queensland are facing a difficult step as landholders – concerned about the ant bait being “toxic” and fearing its impacts on the ecosystem and their livestock – face off with government eradicators.

Some are now refusing entry to treatment officers attempting to spread the bait, which is also found in fly sprays and pet flea tablets.

The ongoing tension has led to police stepping in amid mounting stand-offs with the mandatory treatment program...

Police called in to assist with landowner stand-offs

Treating officers working under the NFAEP are allowed under law to enter Queensland properties for eradication without the consent of owners.

The program still maintains preference to work with landowners to undertake eradication at a time that suits their convenience – informing owners of the planned eradication through letterbox drops, emails, phone calls and texts.

But stand-offs have emerged between some owners and eradication officers who are refused entry.

One Facebook group calling on people to stop the “toxic” program urges landowners to refuse entry, erect signs warning of trespassing and provide a “reasonable excuse” under the Biosecurity Act 2014 to stop entry.

In some posts, landowners are seen confronting eradication staff.

People face hefty fines for obstructing designated officers under Queensland law.

In a statement, Queensland Police confirmed it had been requested to assist some NFAEP staff by “facilitating access to properties where occupants are not compliant with the treatment process”.

“Special duties officers will be allocated to this task, ensuring no impact on the delivery of frontline services,” a police spokeswoman said.

“This collaboration aims to support biosecurity efforts while maintaining essential policing operations.”

For around 43 years the invasive Fire Ant has been expanding its territory on the Australian east coast and the federal & state governments have still not eradicated this dangerous menace - in fact they appear to be losing the battle

Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta) nests have been surfacing on the Australian east coast from Port of Brisbane, Qld to Port Botany, NSW beginning in February 2001 but are believed to have actually arrived on the Australian east coast up to 20 years earlier, given the initial Port of Brisbane discovery uncovered 470 known colonies spread over 8,300 hectares.

The most recent NSW infestation was found in northern NSW at Wardell, near Ballina, on 19 January 2024.

Approximately 99 per cent of the Australian mainland is vulnerable to this invasive species which according to the National Fire Ant Eradication Program has the capacity to surpass the combined damage done each year by our worst pests: feral cats, wild dogs, foxes, camels, rabbits and cane toads.

Image courtesy of Invasive Species Council under creative commons licence 4.0

On the 18 October 2023, the Fire Ant situation was referred to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee for inquiry and report by 18 April 2024.

The 96-page report was published on 13 May 2024 under the title "Red imported fire ants in Australia: Don't Let This Come Back to Bite Us".

The report made ten recommendations which, in diplomatic language, pointed to the fact there is no statutory body overseeing the current eradication plan. 

While the Queensland-focussed 10 year plan itself, now morphed into a broader 5 year plan struggling under the need for expanded expertise, is still significantly underfunded and hampered by past poor execution starting from the federal-states decision making right down to regional level response. With the most notable blunder occurring during the federal Howard Liberal Government years when funding was permanently withdrawn around four years into the original eradication response. This was followed in 2012 by a Qld Newman Liberal Government reduced both funding and staff numbers in that state's fire ant eradication response. Both these events at various points in time have (not without a degree of justification) been blamed for the current failure to either eradicate or contain the spread of fire ants in the eastern half of the country.

So perhaps the following news article should come as no surprise.

ABC News, 18 May 2024:

When Amanda King and her mother Leanne Williams were bitten by fire ants, they were not prepared to become frontline recruits in the federal government's battle with the pest.

The pair were last year bitten multiple times at their Kleinton home, north of Toowoomba, resulting in painful pustules on their legs and arms.

They reported the suspicious nests to the state and federally funded National Fire Ant Eradication Program (NFAEP) in April last year and it took 67 days for a program officer to inspect and subsequently eradicate the pests.

What happened during that time, Ms King said, were repeated requests for them to collect photographic and physical evidence before inspectors would visit their home.

"He basically said, 'No. You need to send photos first,' and then he sent an email with specifications of what to send," Ms King said.

"I rang back and said, 'I can't get photos.'"

What are fire ants and why do they pose such a threat?

There are fears the spread of fires ants could change the outdoor lifestyle Australians know and love.

Ms King, a veterinary nurse who often works 6am to 6pm, said it was difficult to take accurate photos in the dark and that the program was putting too much of the surveillance burden on the public.

"What happens if it's some 70-year-old lady who thinks she has [them]?" she said.

"She's probably not going to have an iPhone that's going to take a proper photo. I think it's unfair for them to do that, so that needs to change."

Her mother agrees....

The ants, which were first detected in 2001 in Brisbane, have spread to south east Queensland and northern New South Wales, with concerns they could enter the Murray-Darling river system after being found at the Oakey Army Aviation Centre in April [78 nests].

Biosecurity zone to be set up

A biosecurity zone will be set up within a 5-kilometre radius of the Oakey base on Monday, placing further legal requirements on those in the zone.

Yesterday, 4 kilometres from Amanda and Leanne's home, fire ants were also officially detected in Meringandan West for the first time.

NFAEP said public help was vital to the program.

"Reports from the public are vital to our national eradication effort and we thank Ms King for her vigilance in notifying us about this sighting," the spokesperson said.

But with 36,945 suspected fire ant reports made since May 2023, and 13,786 of them confirmed as positive, testing is a mammoth task for the governments and departments involved..... [my yellow highlighting]

Read the full article at

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-18/calls-to-better-resource-national-fire-ant-eradication-program/103857306

FIRE ANTS: dangerous invasive pest found almost 99kms south of the NSW-Qld border on Friday 19 January 2024

 

Wardell NSW
Population 803 people (2021)
IMAGE: Google Earth

Echo, 22 January 2023:

Fire ants found in Wardell on Friday were destroyed on Saturday and are no longer a risk to the community living in the immediate area, according to the NSW Minister for Agriculture, Tara Moriarty.

The fire ants in Wardell were originally reported in by a member of the community to the NSW Biosecurity Hotline on Friday and confirmed as fire ants later that day.

The Ballina finding also comes just days after fire ants were spotted floating in floodwaters around the Gold Coast and warnings that fire ants could spread further south after being detected in Murwillumbah.

National Fire Ant Eradication Program

The NSW Department of Primary Industries team moved in with colleagues from the National Fire Ant Eradication Program and Ballina Shire Council to destroy the fire ants, control the site, start tracing the source and survey the surrounding area.

Moriarty said to manage the risks of spread, a biosecurity control order has been put in place with immediate effect, restricting movement within the surrounding 5km area of the site in Wardell.

Department of Primary Industry teams will support the local businesses and community who will need to lock down movement of landscaping, gardening, and building materials plus machinery until inspected and checked.

Chemically eradicated the infestation

Experienced teams were on site on Saturday and chemically eradicated the infestation and treated a radius of 500 metres from the site.

Following detection of the fire ants the NSW Government instigated its action plan covering – eradication, control, tracing, and engagement of local businesses and community.

Moriarty said the teams were prepared for this discovery of fire ants and immediately implemented a response plan and destroyed the fire ant site.

‘Biosecurity is a shared responsibility and I encourage everyone to continue to check their properties for these pests. With the summer cross-border travel in peak times I ask everyone to be careful of what they’re moving and where.’.....

Community kept informed

Tara Moriarty said the community will be kept informed of progress.

The team will continue activities with sniffer dogs and boots on the ground to determine the extent of any infestation, undertake genetic testing of the fire ants, as well as engaging and supporting the impacted local community and businesses.

With continuing rain bringing risk of across border flooding Northern NSW put on alert for fire ant movement in January 2024

 

Invasive Species Council, excerpts retrieved 17 January 2024:

Red Fire Ants are a serious problem for everybody in Australia. These highly invasive ants first turned up in Australia in 2001 at the northern port of Brisbane. We know of four other outbreaks. One large outbreak in southeast Queensland remains active, but contained.....

Nearly all of Australia is vulnerable to fire ant invasion, including all major cities and towns. More than 99% of the mainland and 80% of Tasmania are suitable to these deadly intruders.

Fire ants might be small, but when their nests are disturbed they rise up in their thousands to swarm and sting their intruder en masse.

Without the regular use of chemical baits, infested parks, gardens and homes become uninhabitable. In the US, 30% to 60% of people in infested areas are stung each year. The stings are painful, hence their name ‘fire’ ants. The alkaloid venom causes pustules and, in some people, allergic reactions.

Fire ants have greater ecological impacts than most ants because they reach extremely high densities. An assessment of their likely impact on 123 animals in southeast Queensland predicted population declines in about 45% of birds, 38% of mammals, 69% of reptiles and 95% of frogs.

These ants damage crops, rob beehives and kill newborn livestock. During dry times they dominate the margins of dams and livestock cannot reach water without being seriously stung.

Australia has too much to lose if we don’t eradicate red fire ants.....

‘The recent heavy rainfall and wild weather in the region could accelerate the spread of fire ants, one of the world’s worst invasive species,’ warned Invasive Species Council Advocacy Manager Reece Pianta.

‘Fire ants are more active before or after rainfall and can form large floating rafts which move with water currents to establish footholds in new areas.

‘We have recently seen evidence of this rafting behaviour on cane farms south of Brisbane.

‘The good news is that it will be easier to spot fire ants and their nests at this time.

‘We are therefore calling on the community to be on the lookout for fire ants, including in their backyards, local parks, beaches or bushland.

‘It’s really easy to do your part. Just take a picture of any suspicious ants and report it.

‘And don’t worry if you’re not sure what type of ant it is, every picture that is sent in will be vital information for the eradication program.....

Report fire ants to:

Queensland: 13 25 23 or www.fireants.org.au

New South Wales: 1800 680 244 or https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/biosecurity/forms/report-exotic-ants

If you think fire ants are on your property, find advice on what to do by visiting: https://www.fireants.org.au/treat/residential-landowner-or-tenant

TheSydney Morning Herald, 17 January 2024:

Venomous fire ants caught in Queensland floodwaters are forming living rafts that quickly traverse long distances, raising the threat of more incursions from the south-east of the state into NSW.

A video released by the Invasive Species Council on Tuesday shows thousands of ants clinging to each other in a tight pack as they float in floodwaters around the Gold Coast.

The invasive species, whose sting can kill people, pets and livestock, and destroy native ecosystems, can also fly – in rare cases up to several kilometres at a time – and travel in transported soil, mulch, animal feed, potted plants and other organic material.

Six nests were detected and destroyed at Murwillumbah in the NSW Northern Rivers region in November. The mounting threat is so urgent the state government has increased checks at the Queensland border, requiring people to declare their goods and register their movements.

“There is a real onus on NSW residents, buyers, importers or anyone that’s bringing in goods from Queensland to make sure they know where it comes from,” NSW Department of Primary Industries chief invasive species officer Scott Charlton said.

“If it’s a fire ant area, it requires the appropriate paperwork to be certified as free from fire ants.”.....

Lismore's unwelcome invasive pest has surfaced once more - the Yellow Crazy Ant

 

IMAGE: Qld Wet Tropics Management Authority

"The yellow crazy ant is listed as one of the top 100 worst invasive species by the IUCN and the Global Invasive Species Database. They are a category three restricted pest under the Biosecurity Act 2014. As such, all citizens have a general biosecurity obligation to minimise the risk of further infestation." [https://www.wettropics.gov.au/yellow-crazy-ants]

"...form huge super-colonies containing thousands of queens and have worker densities reaching up to 20 million ants per hectare." [CSIRO, retrieved 10 November 2021]

Invasive Species Council:

Yellow crazy ants are a highly aggressive tramp ant that made it into Australia through our ports. In a suitable climate such as that of the Queensland Wet Tropics they can form super colonies over vast areas and have huge environmental, social and economic impacts.

Yellow crazy ants do not bite, but spray formic acid to blind and kill their prey.

Once the ants reach super colony levels they can become a severe threat to people, especially children and the elderly, as well as pets. They can damage household electrical appliances and wiring.

One man in Australia has already suffered serious injury from yellow crazy ants. While sleeping at his home in Edmonton, Queensland, the ants swarmed all over Frank Teodo’s face, burning his eyes badly with their acid. And he’s not alone, people’s pets have been sprayed by the ants’ acid, injuring their eyes, mouth and paws. The ants can also kill small and young animals including chickens and native animals.

Yellow crazy ants are a huge threat to agriculture in Australia’s warmer regions. By farming sugar-secreting scale insects and encouraging sooty moulds they can dramatically reduce the productivity of crops such as fruit trees and sugar cane.....

And now this ant has returned to the Lismore local government area in the NSW Northern Rivers region.

EchoNetDaily, 10 November 2021:

Yellow Crazy Ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes) has been confirmed in Lismore.
 Photo supplied.

Yellow Crazy Ants (Anoplolepis gracilipes) have been threatening the Lismore area since 2018 when they were detected in the Lismore CBD. Another colony has been detected in Lismore recently.

‘A small surviving colony of yellow crazy ants was recently detected in Lismore after an astute resident spotted them in his garden,’ said a spokesperson for Lismore City Council (LCC)…..

NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) is monitoring and controlling the surviving ants through targeted treatments approved for use in urban and residential areas. ‘Lismore City Council and the DPI are grateful for the continued support of the Lismore community in the management of yellow crazy ants,’ said LCC spokesperson......

You can help stop their spread by checking outdoor areas for ants with:

• slender yellow to brownish bodies about 5mm long

• dark brown abdomens, sometimes striped

• very long legs and antennae

• an erratic walking style

If you spot any suspicious ants:

• collect them in a container

• freeze them for 15 minutes, then photograph them against a white background

• call the Biosecurity Helpline on 1800 680 244 or email species@dpi.nsw.gov.au

Good quality photos and videos of the ants will help with initial identification. For more information about yellow crazy ants visit www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/yca …..