What to look for when looking for fire ants
Fire ant nests can appear as dome-shaped mounds or be flat and look like a small patch of disturbed soil.
All nests have no obvious entry or exit holes.
The shape and size of the nest depends on soil type and ant colony size.
The ants enter and leave the mound via underground tunnels which radiate outwards from the nest. These tunnels can be up to 30m long.
Internally, nests consist of many interconnecting galleries, which have a honeycomb appearance.
If a nest is disturbed, the workers may very quickly move the queen and the brood (eggs, larvae and pupae) to a new location.
Fire ant nests are often found in open areas such as lawns and pastures and along roadsides and unused cropland. They can also be found next to or under other objects on the ground, such as timber, logs, rocks, pavers or bricks.
What distinguishes fire ants from other ant species?
Fire ants can be identified by a few distinguishing features.
They are:
- copper brown in colour with a darker abdomen
- quite small at 2 – 6 mm
- found in a variety of sizes within the one nest.
When checking suspicious ant nests gently poke the nest with a long stick and observe the ants that come out.
Be careful not to get too close, as fire ants are aggressive. They swarm when disturbed and have a painful sting.
Treating fire ant nests
Thousands of South East Queenslanders are playing their part in the fight against fire ants. You can do the same by regularly looking for, reporting and treating your property for fire ants.
Fire ants can have devastating consequences on our environment, economy and outdoor way of life. They also pose a serious threat to humans. At best, their stings can be painful; at worst, they can trigger a toxic, sometimes life-threatening, allergic reaction.
We are tasked with eradicating fire ants using a staged, rolling treatment strategy starting in the west of the infestation. In high-risk situations, we will also treat fire ant nests in other areas. Priority is given to reports of suspect ants in areas of greatest public risk, such as schools, childcare centres, parks and sports fields.
Treatment types
We use two different fire ant nest treatments, both approved by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) — fire ant bait and direct nest injection. Both treatments have different purposes, application methods and results.
Fire ant bait
Bait treatment is lightly scattered across backyards and garden areas as well as parklands and paddocks, by helicopter, utility terrain vehicle and/or hand spreader.
Fire ants collect the bait and take it back to the nest. The active ingredient/s are passed around the colony, leading to the death of the worker ants, larvae and queens. Multiple treatments may need to destroy all nests. Fire ant bait is safe for the environment, humans and pets.
Type of bait | Active ingredients | Typically found in | Expected results |
|---|---|---|---|
Fast-acting bait (used to treat the immediate area around nests) | Contains indoxacarb or a combination of hydramethylon and pyriproxyfen | Cockroach baits / dog and cat flea collars | Reduction in nest activity in 1–4 weeks, and nest death soon after |
Slow-acting insect growth regulator (IGR) to make the queen infertile (used to treat the rest of the property) | Contain S-methoprene or pyriproxyfen | Mosquito control / dog and cat flea collars | Nest naturally dies out in 3–4 months |
It is made of small pieces of corn grit soaked in soy bean oil and an active ingredient. The active ingredients are the same as those found in household pest control products such as cockroach baits, mosquito control products, and flea collars for pets.
On an average residential block (approximately 500 m2) up to 100 grams of bait will be used in each treatment. The corn grit has only 0.045% (fast-acting bait) and 0.5% (slow-acting bait) active ingredient, meaning very small amounts of insecticide is used.
Direct nest injection
Direct nest injection involves flooding fire ant nests and tunnels with an approved insecticide. Fipronil is the only product approved for this treatment style for fire ants and is often used to control termites. It is effective at very low application rates—25 mL to 100 L water—and only licensed pest managers are allowed to use it for fire ants.
Direct nest injection is most often used to treat fire ant nests that need to be destroyed quickly because there is a risk to public or animal safety.
Fipronil is odourless and affects ants immediately, with most ants dying within several days.
Can I treat fire ants?
Under the Biosecurity Act 2014, fire ants are a category 1 restricted matter, making the pest a responsibility for all Queenslanders.
You are encouraged and able to reduce the impacts fire ants have on your lifestyle until our planned eradication treatment reaches your neighbourhood.
- Check your property for fire ant nests
Look for ant nests that appear as mounds or flat patches of loose soil with no obvious entry or exit holes. Fire ants are coppery brown with a darker abdomen. They are small and range in size from 2–6mm. - Report suspect ants
You are legally required to report any fire ants to us within 24 hours of seeing them. You can do this online at fireants.org.au or call 13 25 23. - Treat fire ants
✔ Purchase and use fire ant bait
Residents can buy fire ant bait from local and online retailers and treat the nests themselves. There are a number of baits available on the market. A list is available on our website at fireants.org.au.
✔ Hire a pest manager to treat for you
We have trained many pest managers to treat fire ants safely and effectively using bait and by direct nest injection with liquid insecticide.
After treatment
If your property is treated for fire ants, it is critical that you do not water, mow or disturb your lawn, gardens or paddocks for 48 hours. This gives fire ants time to collect the bait or liquid insecticide.
Don’t spread fire ants
Be aware, restrictions apply to the movement of materials that could carry fire ants such as soil, mulch, animal manures, baled hay or straw, potted plants and turf. It is critical that we prevent fire ants from moving back into an area that has already been treated. For more information visit fireants.org.au .