Residents and business owners in and around a Sunshine Coast suburb are being urged to be vigilant after fire ants were discovered.
The National Fire Ant Eradication Program’s (NFAEP) compliance team found a nest at Kunda Park, outside the containment boundary, on June 9.
The NFAEP stated that the officers acted quickly and destroyed the nest that day.
They were set to carry out eradication activities such as treatment and surveillance to protect the surrounding area.
The NFAEP issued a press release stating that fire ant detections outside the program’s containment boundary are “serious”.
“The program has procedures in place to manage them.
“Everyone in Kunda Park and surrounding areas is encouraged to check their property and local area for fire ants and report their findings.”
Further investigations will be conducted to determine the source of the fire ants.
Fire ants can hitch rides in materials such as soil, hay, mulch, manure, quarry materials, turf, and potted plants, and in soil attached to equipment. Human-assisted movement is regarded as the biggest risk to their spread.
“Every Queensland business and individual has a general biosecurity obligation to prevent the spread of fire ants,” the NFEAP stated.
“Failing to do so can result in heavy penalties including fines of more than $500,000 or three years imprisonment.”
Fire ants have now been found in multiple parts of the Sunshine Coast, including at Aura and at Yandina.
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NFAEP senior director operations Robert Wilson revealed how nests are found.
“Our odour detection dogs are an invaluable asset to the program, helping us locate fire ants quickly and effectively,” he said.
“Their ability to detect fire ants across a range of environments is a gamechanger in our mission to eradicate fire ants from Australia by 2032.”
He encouraged people to help the cause.
“Compliance activities are essential to ensuring everyone is doing their part to prevent fire ants from spreading,” he said.
“Every fire ant nest detected and destroyed is a step closer to a fire ant free Australia.”
Visit fireants.org.au or call 132 ANT (13 22 68) for more information.
