Bid to stop venomous fire ants

Fire ants, whose sting can kill people, pets and livestock, are forming living rafts after being caught in Queensland floodwaters, raising the threat of incursions into northern New South Wales


AUSTRALIA
Broome
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Perth
Darwin
Northern Territory
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Adelaide
Cairns
QUEENSLAND
Brisbane
NEW SOUTH WALES
Sydney
Canberra
VICTORIA
Melbourne 
Hobart
TASMANIA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
600km 375 miles 


1 2001, Brisbane: First colonies of fire ants detected, spread over 8,300 hectares. Eradicated 2005

2 2001, Richlands: Colonies spread over 600,000 hectares. Eradication under way

3 2006, Gladstone: Up to 100 colonies over 100 hectares. Eradicated 2007

4 2013, Gladstone Port: 80 colonies spread over 4,600 hectares. Eradicated 2016

5 2014, Port Botany, Sydney: Colony detected. Eradicated 2016 
  
6 2015, Brisbane Airport: At least one colony detected. Eradicated 2019

7 2016, Port of Brisbane: At least one colony. Eradicated 2019

8 2019, Port of Fremantle: At least one colony. Eradication under way

9 Nov 2023, South Murwillumbah: Six nests. Eradication under way 


Source: National Fire Ant Eradication Programme
Picture: Ben Raines 
© GRAPHIC NEWS