Published Thursday, 11 September, 2008 at 01:54 PM
Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries
The Honourable Tim Mulherin
Community Vigilance Needed In The Biosecurity Battle Against Fire Ants
Members of the public are being asked to remain vigilant and inform Biosecurity Queensland if they think they’ve found fire ants, Primary Industries and Fisheries Minister Tim Mulherin has said.
“The Bligh Government is continuing to focus on controlling biosecurity concerns in Queensland and one of those is fire ants, which are an imported, invasive pest,” Mr Mulherin said.
“All Queenslanders play an important part in the Biosecurity battle against fire ants. We must continue to eradicate fire ants if we are to protect our natural environment, which is the envy of the world, and preserve the lifestyle we all care about.
“The Bligh Government has been working together with Queensland communities and industries to locate nests and eradicate them and I’d like to thank those residents who continue to keep Biosecurity Queensland informed about suspect ant nests.
“This is important so that the pest can be wiped out before a nest takes hold.
“In Brisbane, residents have done the right thing and informed Biosecurity Queensland about a number of new nests they have found on the fringes of current identified fire ant areas.
“Right now, Biosecurity Queensland surveillance teams are out inspecting as many properties and backyards as possible to check for fire ants.
“There’s no doubt fire ants pose a significant concern for Queensland’s economy, environment and lifestyle.
“At the start of the programme, these ants were identified in an area covering more than 25,000 hectares.
“Now, seven years into the hard work done on eradication, fire ants have been found on only 132 parcels of land out of 190,000 parcels. That’s across a Restricted Area totalling more than 80,000 hectares in the past financial year.”
At the Port of Brisbane, fire ants have not been detected for some years and the control of these fire ant nests at this major port and transport hub has reduced the risk of fire ants spreading to other Australian states.
While the fire ants at Yarwun appear to have been eradicated there is still a year of formal surveillance before this area near Gladstone is officially declared fire ant free.
“Biosecurity Queensland has been working hard to reduce the fire ant threat in our state,” Mr Mulherin said.
“In part, the fire ant battle has been assisted by the development of fire ant genetic analysis techniques and my Department worked hard to contribute to that research.
“This revealed the Gladstone fire ants were not linked to the incursion in Queensland’s south east.
Fire ants were first identified in Gladstone in 2005.
“We already know from the best expert advice that isolated fire ant infestations will continue to be discovered in the south-east,” Mr Mulherin said.
“That’s why continued vigilance by members of our community will help win the biosecurity battle against fire ants.”
If you see any suspect fire ants you can alert Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23. Additionally you can find out more about them on the web at www.dpi.qld.gov.au.
Media – Primary Industries and Fisheries Minister’s Office
3239 6530
“The Bligh Government is continuing to focus on controlling biosecurity concerns in Queensland and one of those is fire ants, which are an imported, invasive pest,” Mr Mulherin said.
“All Queenslanders play an important part in the Biosecurity battle against fire ants. We must continue to eradicate fire ants if we are to protect our natural environment, which is the envy of the world, and preserve the lifestyle we all care about.
“The Bligh Government has been working together with Queensland communities and industries to locate nests and eradicate them and I’d like to thank those residents who continue to keep Biosecurity Queensland informed about suspect ant nests.
“This is important so that the pest can be wiped out before a nest takes hold.
“In Brisbane, residents have done the right thing and informed Biosecurity Queensland about a number of new nests they have found on the fringes of current identified fire ant areas.
“Right now, Biosecurity Queensland surveillance teams are out inspecting as many properties and backyards as possible to check for fire ants.
“There’s no doubt fire ants pose a significant concern for Queensland’s economy, environment and lifestyle.
“At the start of the programme, these ants were identified in an area covering more than 25,000 hectares.
“Now, seven years into the hard work done on eradication, fire ants have been found on only 132 parcels of land out of 190,000 parcels. That’s across a Restricted Area totalling more than 80,000 hectares in the past financial year.”
At the Port of Brisbane, fire ants have not been detected for some years and the control of these fire ant nests at this major port and transport hub has reduced the risk of fire ants spreading to other Australian states.
While the fire ants at Yarwun appear to have been eradicated there is still a year of formal surveillance before this area near Gladstone is officially declared fire ant free.
“Biosecurity Queensland has been working hard to reduce the fire ant threat in our state,” Mr Mulherin said.
“In part, the fire ant battle has been assisted by the development of fire ant genetic analysis techniques and my Department worked hard to contribute to that research.
“This revealed the Gladstone fire ants were not linked to the incursion in Queensland’s south east.
Fire ants were first identified in Gladstone in 2005.
“We already know from the best expert advice that isolated fire ant infestations will continue to be discovered in the south-east,” Mr Mulherin said.
“That’s why continued vigilance by members of our community will help win the biosecurity battle against fire ants.”
If you see any suspect fire ants you can alert Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23. Additionally you can find out more about them on the web at www.dpi.qld.gov.au.
Media – Primary Industries and Fisheries Minister’s Office
3239 6530