Fire ant detection – Brisbane Airport

There is a new arrival of fire ants to Australia and genetic testing indicates that the ants originated from the Southern United States and are not related to current or previous fire ants populations in Queensland. It’s likely the new fire ants arrived in freight sometime in the last two years, and thanks to a vigilant person who reported them to Biosecurity Queensland in September last year, we don’t think they’ve had time to spread far.

A new emergency response is underway to contain and eradicate the fire ants. All Australian states and territories have unanimously agreed to jointly fund the eradication. More than $910,000 has been allocated to contain and eradicate the new incursion of fire ants over a two-year period.

A Restricted Area has been established and movement controls are in place to prevent the spread of fire ants. Restrictions apply to the movement of high risk material in the suburbs of Brisbane Airport, Eagle Farm and Pinkenba.

A large surveillance operation is underway including Biosecurity Officers on the ground, odour detection dogs and a widespread community engagement campaign. We will be targeting residents and businesses in suburbs surrounding the detection, requesting that they check their properties and report what they find to Biosecurity Queensland.

The National Red Imported Fire Ant Eradication Program could not have achieved its success to date without the ongoing awareness and vigilance from local communities. Seventy per cent of fire ant sightings in South East Queensland are reported by the general public.

[prettyfilelink src=”http://www.qtpa.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Brisbane-Airport_Industry-newsletter-and-Facebook-Final.pdf” type=”pdf”]Brisbane Airport_Industry newsletter and Facebook Final[/prettyfilelink]

Chris Windle

Senior Communication and Stakeholder Engagement Officer

Biosecurity Queensland

Department of Agriculture and Fisheries