Biosecurity Spotters logo

Electric ant (Wasmannia auropunctata)

A tiny ant with a painful sting that is under an eradication program in Far North Queensland. It can blind pets and wildlife and makes infested land hard to work.

Key facts

Type: Pest animal, invertebrate.

Native to: Central and South America.

Established in: QLD.

Other names: Little fire ant.

Identification

  • Very small, slow-moving golden-brown ant about 1.5 mm long.
  • Often found by its sting, which leaves itchy welts.

Where it lives

Rainforest, gardens, plantations and nurseries in the wet tropics.

Why it matters

  • Painful stings to people.
  • Eye damage in pets and wildlife.
  • Displaces native invertebrates.

How it spreads

  • Movement of pot plants, soil, mulch, green waste and equipment.

Control methods

  • Report suspected ants; treatment is carried out by the eradication program.

Site hygiene and welfare

  • Comply with movement controls and inspect materials leaving Far North Queensland sites.
  • Use methods set out in the national model codes of practice and standard operating procedures for the species.
  • Coordinate control with neighbours and the local government biosecurity plan, as isolated effort is quickly undone by reinvasion.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): No national listing. Managed under state and territory law.
  • Queensland: Restricted matter, categories 1, 3. Report it to Biosecurity Queensland within 24 hours; do not give it away, sell or release it into the environment. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: Prohibited matter. It is an offence to deal with it, and you must notify NSW DPIRD as soon as you become aware of it.
  • Victoria: Not declared. Not declared under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. Other Victorian laws may still apply.
  • South Australia: Not declared. Not declared under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019. Other laws may still apply.
  • Western Australia: Declared pest (C1), prohibited. C1 Exclusion: to be kept out of WA, or out of the parts of WA where it is not established. Report any sighting to DPIRD. It must not be brought into WA (prohibited organism).
  • Tasmania: Declared pest. It is a declared pest under the Biosecurity Act 2019 (Tas). Report sightings to Biosecurity Tasmania and follow any management requirements.
  • Northern Territory: Not a declared pest. Not on an NT declared or prohibited list. Check with the NT Government before keeping, moving or releasing it.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Not declared. Not declared under the Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT). A general biosecurity duty still applies.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • Queensland: Biosecurity Act 2014 (Qld), administered by Biosecurity Queensland (13 25 23)

Sources