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Red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta)

A highly invasive ant with a painful, sometimes dangerous sting. Infestations around south-east Queensland are under a national eradication program, and earthworks are a major way it spreads.

Key facts

Type: Pest animal, invertebrate.

Native to: South America.

Established in: QLD, NSW.

Other names: Fire ant.

Identification

  • Small ants 2 to 6 mm, coppery brown with a darker abdomen, in a range of sizes in the same nest.
  • Mounds of loose, fluffy soil up to 40 cm high with no obvious entry holes.
  • Aggressive swarming when the nest is disturbed.

Where it lives

Open, sunny ground such as lawns, pasture, roadsides, construction sites and stockpiles.

Why it matters

  • Painful stings and allergic reactions in people and animals.
  • Damage to crops, infrastructure and electrical equipment.
  • Harm to native wildlife.

How it spreads

  • Movement of soil, mulch, hay, turf and potted plants.
  • Flying queens.

Control methods

  • Do not treat or disturb suspected nests; report them so the eradication program can respond.
  • Comply with movement rules and keep records for regulated materials.

Site hygiene and welfare

  • Inspect stockpiles and laydown areas regularly in the biosecurity zones.
  • Clean soil from machinery before leaving sites inside the zone.
  • 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): National eradication program. Targeted by the nationally cost-shared National Fire Ant Eradication Program.
  • Queensland: Restricted matter, category 1. Report it to Biosecurity Queensland within 24 hours. 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: Prohibited matter. It must not be brought into Tasmania. Report any sighting to Biosecurity Tasmania.
  • 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: Declared pest, notifiable, prohibited. It is a declared pest throughout the ACT. You must report it to ACT Biosecurity. Dealing with it, such as selling, moving or keeping it, is prohibited.

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)
  • New South Wales: Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW), administered by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

Sources