Fire ants

Fire ant eradication treatment is underway in a new section of South East Queensland.

Treatment areas include greater Ipswich and western Logan, while additional small sections of Lockyer Valley, Somerset and Scenic Rim will also be treated between September 2020 and June 2021.

Treatment teams are following strict COVID-19 restrictions to keep everyone safe during the current pandemic. Please work with our staff to ensure your property is treated for fire ants.

If you have received a notice indicating that your property is scheduled for treatment, ensure you complete a property information form. This will provide us with any relevant information or alert us to any potential issues we need to be aware of prior to treatment.

Fire ants are a ‘super pest’—aggressive, highly-adaptive and well-equipped for survival. They are considered category 1 restricted matter under the Biosecurity Act 2014. This means all landowners must report sightings within 24 hours, and if outside the eradication areas, take action to treat the pest.

The National Red Imported Fire Ant Eradication Program has successfully eradicated 5 incursions of the pest, and is working on a sixth.

Our 10-year eradication plan involves an intensive and targeted eradication effort over four geographic areas in SEQ, spanning from Lockyer Valley in the west to Redlands in the east, north to Moreton Bay and south to the Gold Coast.

Three years into the plan, and residents in the Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim and parts of Ipswich (Area 1) are telling us: “there used to be ants, now there are none.”

Under the Biosecurity Act 2014, everyone, including individuals and organisations, has a general biosecurity obligation (GBO) to take all reasonable steps to prevent the spread of fire ants. Queenslanders are legally required to report suspected sightings of fire ants within 24 hours of their discovery or face penalties.

Fire ant biosecurity zones are in place to help manage the movement of materials that could spread fire ants such as soil, hay, turf and other carriers. Learn more about what we are doing to prevent the spread of fire ants .

Last updated: 14 Oct 2019