Council
31 March, 2025
More Fire Ant treatment
THE State Government is intensifying efforts to fight back against the march of fire ants with a record new $24 million program to control the invasive species.
A $24 million boost to Queensland’s Fire Ant Suppression Taskforce – taking total funding to $61 million – will deliver aerial treatments on large blocks across South East Queensland.
The treatments will be activated across 212,000 hectares within South East Queensland’s suppression zone over the next two years. The fast and effective treatment for larger properties will boost eradication efforts by reducing ant density in hard-to-treat colonies as much as 80 percent in the suppression zone.
Eligible properties of 10 hectares or greater infested with fire ants in the suppression area can be treated by drone or helicopter at no cost to the landholder.
A cost-benefit analysis conducted by Central Queensland University in 2021 found that an uncontrolled spread of fire ants over the next 15 years would result in agricultural impacts costing $1 billion a year. Fire ant treatment is safe for people, pets, and the environment.
