Invasive red fire ants have been discovered in Wardell, south of Ballina, NSW, in the most-southern discovery of the destructive pest yet.
After Queensland authorities gave up a two-decade fight to contain the ants last year, they have rapidly spread south, crossing the NSW border in November 2023.
Yesterday a Wardell gardener notified the NSW department of Primary Industry (DPI) after they were bitten and suffered ‘blistering and pain’ upon accidentally discovering the nest of Fire Ants while working.
The ants have since marched nearly 100 kilometres south in just two months.
An incident response team from the National Fire Ant Eradication Program and NSW DPI teams were sent to the site.
After gathering further information about the nest, they destroyed the ants with liquid insecticide.
The NSW DPI are investigating where the ants came from, and how long they have been present south of Ballina.
South Murwillumbah, about 13 kilometres from the Queensland border, was placed under an emergency biosecurity order with a control zone in place after five nests were found in late November 2023.
The ants were chemically eradicated, and the Northern Rivers community placed on high alert.
Since then, the Fire Ants have been seen forming “floating rafts” to escape the floodwaters that hit northern NSW and south east Queensland earlier this month.
The fire ants have now been moved roughly 100 kilometres further south of South Murwillumbah, in under two months.
Fire ants are tiny – less than a centimetre long.
They are reddish-brown in colour, are aggressive when disturbed and will sting repeatedly.
Their nests look like mounds or flattish patches of soil with no obvious entrance holes. They can be built up to 40 cm high.
Fire ants are notorious for their devastating effects on local ecosystems.
Originating from South America, the species was first detected in Australia in 2001.
The Northern Rivers community was encouraged to “continue their vigilance” in noticing and calling out potential fire ant sites.
A hotline has been set up for NSW Biosecurity.
