Building sites infested as fire ant program fails, says expert

Judith Kerr, Quest Newspapers, April 12, 2019,

THE state government has been accused of leaving Southeast Queensland at the peril of deadly fire ants.

Logan-based fire ant monitor Stuart Webber said the state’s $411 million fire ant program was failing with the number of nests in Logan public parks doubling every year for three years.

Logan City Council debated a new fire ant policy for the city on Wednesday.

Fire any expert Stuart Webber says the $411 million fire ant program in Queensland is failing.

The new policy includes a recommendation from parks officers to give council staff and contractor’s greater authority to treat nests but only in the event of an emergency.

The report to council said housing estates across the southeast were prime sites for heavy infestations and extermination by direct nest injection was “low cost”.

Biosecurity Queensland said housing estates were heavily infested with the pest but said it was focused on aerial baiting west of Ipswich with the project gradually working towards Logan and Redlands as part of a 10-year eradication program.

It pinpointed heavy infestations at the Gold Coast and in major housing development suburbs of Logan including Yarrabilba, Waterford, Park Ridge, Chambers Flat, Jimboomba, Flagstone and Bethania.

Mr Webber said he believed the eradication program was going “pear shaped” and heading for the same outcome as cane toads and lantana.

He said the southeast had been left “high and dry” over the past year with Logan infestations doubling every year for the past three years.

He said the low success rate of aerial baiting in the west, at Gatton, had put back the rollout of Biosecurity Queensland’s program in the east to places such as the Gold Coast and Logan.

“Local government staff needs greater powers to take immediate action on the ground instead of having to wait for Biosecurity Queensland,” he said.

“I was forced to report a children’s blow-up jumping castle which was erected on a nest in Alexander Clark Park in Loganholme in August.

“None of the nests in the park were flagged to warn parents about the dangers of the ant or what to do in case of a sting. Biosecurity Queensland has stopped flagging the nests, so now nobody knows where they are. These ants are dangerous and a sting can kill a child.”

A children’s blow-up jumping castle was erected on a nest in Alexander Clark Park in Loganholme in August.

Logan’s new policy, to be voted on at next Tuesday’s full council meeting, will include warning signs about ants at public parks.

Bahrs Scrub resident Damian, who did not want to give his surname, said he was concerned about the spread of the pest at a housing subdivision on his street at 32 Berzins Court.  Logan council construction taskforce officers said they would be monitoring the site during earthworks and had alerted Biosecurity Queensland.

Berzins Court in the centre of the photo with the major land development in the top left hand corner.

Logan City councillor Jon Raven said giving officers powers only in emergencies was “the thin edge of the wedge”. “I’m worried that this could graduate from council doing the work in extreme circumstances to doing all treatment and Biosecurity Queensland is not even doing the work anymore and the ratepayer is footing the bill,” he said.

“The BQ guys have really long lunch breaks in Demio Park in my electorate — so if anyone wants to talk to Biosecurity Queensland their officers are often there.”

Responsibility for reporting cases of fire ants lies with local governments but surveillance and control of the ants is the responsibility of Biosecurity Queensland.

Fire ants can spread by flying with queen ants able to fly up to 5km. However they also hitchhike in construction materials such as soil, turf, mulch, hay, potted plants and manure.

Any suspect nests should be reported to Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23. Alternatively, take a photo of the nest and ants and report using an online form.