Treating fire ants in your backyard, fire ant eradication program

Fire ants are far from your typical ant species. Although they are small, they are a big problem. They can destroy our environment, economy and our way of life. They not only attack our pets and native wildlife, but also pose a serious threat to human health. That is why everyone living and working in South East Queensland needs to play their part in the fight against this super pest.
You need to do what you can to protect your family, friends and pets, and support the efforts to eradicate fire ants from your backyard once and for all. Fire ant treatment requires the whole community to take part.
So, what do you need to do?
When out enjoying your backyard and neighbourhood, have a look around you. Are there any suspect looking ant mounds in the grass, garden, around taps, driveways or utility pits?
Unlike most ant mounds, fire ant mounds don’t have an entry or exit hole.
If you find a suspect nest, put on a long sleeve shirt, pants and enclosed shoes and lightly poke the nest with a long stick. Observe the ants that come out. If they’re fire ants, they will swarm when disturbed and are coppery-brown in colour.
Also look for another distinct feature - the fire ants vary in size, ranging from 2 to 6 mm.
If you believe you have found a fire ant nest, you need to let us know. Under the Biosecurity Act 2014, you must do so within 24 hours. You can also provide us with photos of the nest or ants. Submit a suspect ant report online or call us at 13 25 23.
After reporting, you have a few options. You can purchase fire ant bait and treat them yourself or hire a licensed pest manager. A range of fire ant baits are available at local and online retailers, and through pest chemical suppliers. The bait is quite safe to use, but always follow the instructions on the label.
As you may know, fire ants are nasty so if you find them, it’s likely you’ll want to get rid of them fast. Make sure you buy fire ant bait. The best products contain the active ingredient indoxacarb, pyriproxyfen or hydramethylnon often found in household cockroach bait.
It won’t kill the nest instantly, but you should see results within a few days, with full nest death in 4 weeks. You can also call a licensed pest manager to treat the pest for you, as you do with termites and cockroaches. Hundreds of pest managers in South East Queensland are trained in effective fire ant treatment. Before you engage them, ask them for a treatment quote and for proof they’ve completed the training.
If you are unable to treat the fire ants you’ve found or they are not located on your land, you still need to still report them. The program may arrange treatment if human or animal health is at risk. How do you make sure fire ants don’t become a problem in your backyard?
If you live within the fire ant biosecurity zones, you can take a proactive approach and keep fire ants from taking over your property. Proactive treatment calls for a different product and treatment regime. You or your licensed pest manager, should use a fire ant bait treatment containing s-methoprene or pyriproxyfen. These active ingredients, often found in pet flea collars and used in mosquito control, and work by sterilising the fire ants queen leading to the destruction of a nest.
Apply this treatment three to four times between September and June when the weather is warmer. This will greatly reduce the chance of fire ants taking over your property. Nests may still appear from time to time, but the colonies will not survive. There are a number of ant baits available on the market. Before you buy it, make sure it’s made specifically for fire ants and approved by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority. You can do this by checking our website for a list of the approved baits and when and how they should be used.
Fire ants are everyone’s responsibility. Take them out before they keep you in.