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Infestation of Queensland
To date, fire ants have been found in south east Queensland on Fisherman Island and south west Brisbane suburbs.
Two reports arrived on the same day from separate parts of Brisbane. A workman was bitten at fisherman Island and a sample of these ants were sent to CSIRO. The other report was from a gardener in the suburb of Richlands in south west Brisbane, and these ants were sent to DPI.
These two samples of fire ants were identified as two slightly different strains. The ants from Fisherman Islands are from North America while the ants found in Richlands are from South America.
"If it (fire ants infestation) got away from Brisbane, it has the potential to impact on agriculture. However, because it is currently an urban pest, its great impact is on people's lifestyles and businesses."
By November 2001, 730 fire ant sites had been identified in the Brisbane area.
Fire ant nests have also been found near Cooroy, about 100km north of Brisbane. The Cooroy site was eradicated immediately using chemicals. It is the only known site outside the greater Brisbane area (as at February 2003). The nests had been transported in pot plants. The Cooroy area has continued to be part of the regular treatment program using baits since the program started.
The DPI expects that if not controlled fire ants could inhabit most parts of Australia, except very cold or dry regions. They would thrive best in the warm, moist climate of northern Australia and eastern Queensland. The dark red areas show the areas of Australia where fire ants could thrive. Basically where we like to live, they like to live.
Impacts of Fire Ants on Queensland | The Fire Ant Infestation of Queensland