Warning over 'intractable problem' as Australia's fire ant fight faces critical moment
Native to South America, they have well and truly spread north, invading more than a dozen US states and costing the country's economy billions of dollars a year. They've caused havoc on golf courses, private properties and even led to reported deaths in Florida and Texas from severe allergic reactions.
A report in USA Today last month even detailed how two species of the invasive ant are crossbreeding, creating an even nastier and hardier bug.
It's a bleak picture Australia is desperately hoping to avoid.
Mark Hoddle, an entomologist and biological control specialist, has spent years studying fire ants at the University of California. He warns Australia must urgently act to stop them from becoming a permanent fixture of the landscape.
"Some entomologists have referred to this perpetual insecticidal war and management plan against fire ants in the US as the Vietnam of entomology. It just seems like an intractable problem," he told ABC radio on Friday.
At least in the United States, where they have been for about a century, the prospect of eradication is probably futile, he warned.
"It will probably never be winnable with the technology we are currently using," he said.
Related: Five colonies of yellow crazy ants detected in Queensland holiday spot
According to experts in Australia at the Invasive Species Council (ISC) and the National Fire Ant Eradication Program, if left unchecked the so-called super pest could make itself at home across 97 per cent of the continent, given our climate's suitability to the species. Ultimately, they could do more damage than cane toads, camels, foxes and feral pigs combined.
After recent discoveries of fire ants in Queensland, including on one Scenic Rim property where they were found "chewing" on a lawn mower, authorities are urging residents to be vigilant and take precautions.
"Fire ants are great stowaways, and they love to get into organic material in particular," Reece Pianta from the ISC told Yahoo News this week. "Empty out the catcher of your mower," he urged. "Don't leave the clippings in there, and clean it down. It's also good advice to clean things that are being moved from place to place."
Agricultural minister spruiks nation's biosecurity efforts
The federal government is set to contribute some $296 million over the next four years to help fight the fire ant invader, with more money tipped in by the states.
Julie Collins, the federal Minister for Agriculture, on Friday hit back at her Coalition counterpart who on Thursday said the federal government wasn't doing enough to stop the spread.
"What I would say is that Australia has been quite successful in terms of trying to contain the red imported fire ants compared to how other countries are dealing with it. We have managed to contain the spread of it compared to other countries," he said.
In particular, she highlighted the federal government's collaboration with the states as well as efforts to engage the community to raise awareness about the threat, saying biosecurity "is everyone's responsibility".
"Part of the program has been the public awareness campaign and making sure that people understand what they are," she said.
The federal government is coming under increased pressure to make public the National Fire Ant response plan for 2023 to 2027, which is currently a 'cabinet in confidence' document. The minister would not be drawn on whether it would be made public.
"What I'd say is the significant new funding that we have provided to date has allowed the program to expand its reach," she said. "It's put on 350 new workers. There's a new depot, there's new vehicles, new aerial eradication contracts. There's baiting going on. It's doubled the size of the treatment and surveillance area in terms of the existing outbreaks in Australia. We are taking this incredibly seriously."
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