Fire ant

• Small ant 2–6mm long (each nest contains ants of various sizes).
• Head and body are coppery brown, abdomen darker.

• Mounds can be up to 40cm high but may also be flat and look like small patches of disturbed soil.
• Mound has no obvious entry or exit holes.
• Usually found in open areas such as lawns, pastures, along roadsides and in unused cropland.
• Can be found next to or under other objects (e.g. timber, logs, rocks, pavers, or bricks).

• Fire ants have been found in:
  • South East Queensland
  • Gladstone – eradicated in 2016.

• After mating flight, new queens establish colonies and lay 10–20 eggs within 24 hours.
• Eggs hatch within 6–10 days and queen lays more eggs.
• After 1 month, worker ants have opened colony and are tending queen, who lays more eggs.
• After 6–12 months, colony is producing male and female alates (sexually mature ants).
• Newly mated female alates leave nest to establish more colonies.

Learn more about fire ant biology and ecology.

• More than 50 agricultural and horticultural crops, as well as turf and nursery species, can be affected by fire ants. All are grown in Australia, in areas that fire ants could inhabit.
• Infestations in USA have caused 35% reduction in potato yield in Florida, and 65% reduction in corn yield in Mississippi.

Environmental

• Potential to inhabit most of Australia's major coastal areas and extensive areas of tropical north.
• Feed voraciously on small ground fauna, including insects, spiders, lizards, frogs, birds and mammals. Could displace or eliminate some native species.
• Eat and damage seeds, possibly causing major ecosystem changes over time.

Economic

• Fire ant mounds can be serious problem in lawns, sporting fields and golf courses.
• Damage sensitive electrical equipment.
• Affect tourism industry and export of items to fire-ant-free countries.
• Significantly affect agriculture industry. Attack young animals, stinging around eyes, mouth, and nose, leading to blindness and suffocation.
• Prevent animals from reaching food or water without being seriously stung, leading to starvation and dehydration.
• Can damage and kill some plants by tunnelling through roots and stems.
• Protect some pest insect species that produce 'honeydew', downgrading quality of produce and helping to spread disease.
• Feed on important biological control agents, interfering with integrated pest management practices.
• Mounds can destroy equipment, such as irrigation systems, and damage machinery during harvesting operations.

Social

• Fire ants can restrict everyday activities such as picnics and outdoor play, and sporting activities, because backyards, parks, playgrounds, beaches and sports grounds become unusable

Read more about the impacts of fire ants.

Health

• Fire ants usually move quickly, allowing large numbers to move onto humans before they are detected.
• Stings from fire ants can cause a painful, burning, itching sensation, lasting up to 1 hour.
• Multiple stings give sensation that body is on fire.
• Small pustules may form at sting sites several hours after stinging and may become itchy.
• Broken pustules may become infected.

Find out about fire ant first aid.

• Read about the surveillance program for red imported fire ants.

• Fire ants are a category 1 restricted pest under the Biosecurity Act 2014.
• Fire ant biosecurity zones are in place in areas of Queensland to restrict the movement of materials that could spread fire ants.
• Under the Biosecurity Act 2014, individuals and organisations whose activities involve the movement or storage of fire ant carriers will have a general biosecurity obligation (GBO) to take all reasonable steps to ensure they do not spread fire ants.
• The Biosecurity Regulation 2016 prescribes procedures that you must follow when moving or storing a fire ant carrier.