Fire ants are a pest that can have a big impact on native environments and our way of life. They have a painful, fiery sting which, in rare cases, can cause severe allergic reactions.

Reporting fire ants

If you find fire ants in your property, contact the National Fire Ant Eradication Program via the online form or by calling 13 25 23. The faster you report, the less chance there is of fire ants becoming a problem and spreading.

The Fire Ant Eradication Program map shows sites in Queensland that have had fire ants in the last 12 months.

What do they look like?

Fire ants can be identified by a few distinguishing features. They are:

• copper brown in colour with a darker abdomen
• have a variety of sizes within the one nest ranging from 2-6mm
• are aggressive and swarm when disturbed.

For help with identifying fire ants, visit fireants.org.au to view a fire ant identification video and photo gallery. You can also see some ant species that are often mistaken for fire ants.

Nests

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.

 

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.

Our role

 Under the Biosecurity Act 2014, all Queenslanders have a general biosecurity obligation (GBO) to manage fire ants:

• under their control
• that they know about
• that they are expected to know about.

You can do this by reporting fire ants to the National Fire Ant Eradication Program via the online form by calling 13 25 23 or visiting fireants.org.au for more information.