Late Television News Channel 10, Saturday the 24th of February 2001.
The news reader stated that Red Fire Ants the species from South America have been found near a sea-port in Brisbane Queensland.
The Ant species (Solenopsis invicta) is a stinging ant and has a sting similar to a wasp or bee and can kill or cause hospitalisation with a large number of stings.
The ant migrated into the United States through Texas / Mexico from the South American cleared rainforest areas, the ant has spread through agricultural farming areas causing many workers pain and suffering when they swarm and bite.
A recent disaster program on television showed a huge flood in a region of the U.S. where people had to climb trees to avoid being washed away, well they were sitting ducks when the Fire Ants hitched a ride on leaves and sticks and then climbed the trees where the people were hanging onto trees, to avoid being swept away, they all were bitten by the Fire ants.
The Fire Ant builds a nest underground and may have a mound on the surface, the queen may be found anywhere to 18 -20 feet underground or 5.4 metres.
Australia must quarantine imports before they are released onto the main land and any trade liberalisation policies like Globalisation must be looked at for the damage this policy can do when the quarantine inspection service is either downgraded or under funded as a solution for faster movement of goods through Australian ports.
California Department of Food and Agriculture
Oklahoma State University
Ant Charmer
Ag News in Texas
Texas Agricultural Entension Service
Australian Agriculture Links
Queensland Department of Agriculture <<<<GO>>>>
New South Wales Department of Agriculture <<<<GO>>>>
News Update
Channel 10 -5 p.m. News Saturday 3rd of March 2001
Fire Ants have been found outside the Brisbane metro area at Cooroy on the Queensland
Sunshine Coast.
A council worker was bitten and hospitalised after he disturbed a nest under a bush when the ants swarmed to defend their nest.
The council workers neck swelled up and he found it hard to breathe after several bites.
These ants are very small and can deliver a fatal sting when people are bitten many times, like the swarm of bee's or wasps, a typical nest can throw up thousands of ants.
The ants may have invaded into Northern N.S.W. which will be almost impossible to find if they have taken residence in the many National Parks in Queensland and also Northern N.S.W.
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A Full Public Enquiry is now Called on this 6th of March 2001
the enquiry is called from this web site.
There must be a full public enquiry into the invasion of the Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta) to find out if the Economic Rationalism policy of the current Federal Liberal Government has caused the Customs, Quarantine Inspection service to be less effective at finding introduced or invading pests by a reduction in funding to these authorities.
The enquiry must look at the level of funding in real terms since 1996 to see if this Federal Liberal Government has reduced their funding to the Customs, Quarantine and Inspection Service.
The enquiry must set a bench mark level or formula of funding which can not be interfered with by any future government.
The enquiry must look at the Globalisation policies of the current Federal Liberal Government and any future Federal Government in relation to the GATT Agreement in particular Free Trade with Free Movement of goods to give adequate Customs, Quarantine and Inspection Services.
The enquiry must look at the overseas experience of this deadly Ant and the economic cost to the production of agriculture in America including crop spoilage and cost of labour with any special harvesting methods used or needed.
The enquiry must look at the statistics for bites to humans and the statistics for hospital admissions and deaths in America.
The enquiry must look at the level of attack for farm animals in America.
The enquiry must look at Australian Native Fauna to see what this Fire Ant will do to them especially the Endangered Species.
The enquiry must set compensation levels for farmlands or premises used for business placed under quarantine until an extermination method can be found.
There is no magic cure, but a full public enquiry will ensure other quarantine issues will not be over looked into the future.
Note! the Fire Ant has taken over 11 States now in America.
The subject of the Red Fire Ant was broadcast on the ABC 7-30 report on the 5th of March 2001.
The current outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease has forced the Federal Government to increase the Customs & Quarantine Inspection Service to check inbound tourists to stop the disease spreading to Australia. also 5th of March 2001.
Funding must be increased for all entry points in Australia including shipping. 
N.S.W. Placed on Fire Ant Alert
The Daily Telegraph 7th of March 2001 page 15.
Article states:
Agriculture experts are on full alert in northern N.S.W. including the National Environmental Pest Controllers Association.
27 nest sites have been found in Queensland which suggests they have been there for some time.
The Fire Ants can march 8 - 20 km per year and can travel on farm machinery or other vehicles.
The Ant will be a problem for Native Flora and Fauna a very serious threat.
The Ant must be stopped at all costs, to give up will put Australians in hospitals with pain and misery
for all time that's what we are talking about here - all time.
Contact the Minister for Agriculture for both State and Federal Parliaments, ask them to eliminate the Red Fire Ant at all costs.
Lobby these ministers
N.S.W. Minister for Agriculture.
Mr. Richard Amery MP
Phone: (02) 9372 0123
Fax: (02) 9372 0199
Email: ministers.office@agric.nsw.gov.au
N.S.W. Minister for the Environment.
Mr. Bob Debus MP
Ministerial office Phone: (02) 9995 6500
Ministerial office Fax: (02) 9281 1115
Blue Mountains Electorate address:
Shop 3, 107-109 Macquarrie Street,
Springwood NSW 2777.
Email: bluemountains@parliament.nsw.gov.au
Phone: (02) 4751 3298
Fax: (02) 4751 1245
Ant war on track again
The Daily Telegraph 14th of March 2001 page 28.
States the baiting program in south east Queensland is on track again after recent heavy rains.
Ant baiting must be of the highest priority as the nests may release new queens into other areas in the ants cycle of dispersal.
Fire Ants on the way
The Daily Telegraph Saturday 7th of April 2001 page 3.
The program to eradicate the Fire Ant is running into the millions of dollars but according to government information the campaign is not expected to succeed.
The 5 year program at $30 million dollars is a lot of money yet this will barely scratch the surface to completely eradicate this rapacious insect.
The United States of America is a super power with capacity to unleash the power of the split atom, it put a man on the moon and built some of the modules and deployed the largest space station so far in orbit around the earth, they also can manufacture designer chemicals and bio-tech yet with all this technology they cannot stop the fire ant.
Solutions for small scale infestation.
1. 30 million dollars could hire mobile gas furnaces with a conveyer belt and the ground could be excavated with a backhoe to super heat the soil to kill the fire ants, then the soil would be back filled into the hole again.
This solution would work, once the colony size or nest pattern is discovered, the size of the task could then be worked out, the surface could then be sprayed with pesticide to eliminate nest activity and the soil compacted and raked over to contain the nest, before excavation begins for the furnace to do its job with people spraying any ants that fall onto the ground.
Any soil falling onto the ground could be picked up and sent on to the conveyor belt to finish any escapees.
2. A steel bell chamber could be manufactured to cover the entire surface nest, set into the ground to make a good seal and a vacuum pump could withdraw the air creating atmospheric pressure on the outside to hold the bell down, then pure Ozone or other gas could be released into the bell to kill all the Fire Ants down to the deepest part of the nest.
This method could remain in place with television cameras looking into the bell to look for any activity that may exist, a tomb until they are dead, a quarantine containment method also.
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Does anyone remember the humble Red Back spider who hitched a ride on containers to Japan, then caused hysteria when people saw these new black spiders with the red stripe on its back, the officials hunted for the spiders all around the docks to get every last one before they could breed and spread into the suburbs.
We must hunt out every Fire Ant nest to stop them from being established here in Australia at all costs, as it will destroy our agricultural industries and put many Australians in hospital or a grave, could you imagine a small child being swarmed over by these biting pests. Some politicians have children.
The Fire Ant could survive an atom bomb, imagine seeing them riding on the backs of the cockroaches.
Picnickers Beware: nasty nippers on the march south
The Sydney Morning Herald 10th of April 2001 page 6.
As you read this, the problem gets worse.
That cunning little Fire Ant, has made it to Victoria, hitching a ride in palm tree pots from Queensland, several nurseries have now been quarantined in Queensland.
Some may have fallen off the truck in N.S.W all along the highways.
People now can be fined for failing to notify locations of Fire Ants = $75,000 in Queensland. Other States must follow with fines and possible border inspections.
The ants have 180 sites in Queensland, found as at this date and counting, one site at Fisherman's Island alone had 100 nests.
The Fire Ant seems out of control before any logical attempt to control it, lack of proper quarantine inspections are to blame and the whole sad sorry saga goes back to lack of funding from our current rationalist Federal Government at ports of entry.
"No lets not spend any money on something we don't need, then we will save money".
Prevention is better than the cure, a wise old saying and true, that came from the pioneers of hard times, they went on to become the nation builders of Australia.
Current governance could learn a lot from the old sayings of the past, for those sayings had a higher moral latitude which worked.
The state of Texas in the USA has spent $1 billion to slow - exterminate the pesky Ant, which hasn't produced a chink in its armour.
The ant is 2mm to 6mm in length, reddish and aggressive and stings like a wasp.
As the ant takes over-
Outdoor recreational sport will be out - example: Cricket, Rugby League, Aussie Rules, Soccer, Golf, for players and spectators.
No more picnics.
No more camping out - they may even take over the Great Dividing Range and Blue Mountains.
We will loose what is left of our small underground dwelling native fauna.
Hospital admissions will be up when the ants invade your homes.
Agricultural industries will be severely affected, with a lack of people willing to pick fruit and vegetables.
Simple chores like gardening would be out.
This is a war that must be won, we must all become foot soldiers against this common enemy of Australia.
Fire ants strategy call
The Daily Telegraph 11th of April 2001 page 26.
Agforce has called for a united approach for funding between all state and federal governments while the ants are confined to southeast Queensland.
Agforce represents grain and livestock industries.
Agriculture will be severely affected by this intruder from the Amazon Jungle who so far has managed to increase its hold wherever it has invaded.
Regional Australia must demand a united funding effort from its governments to eliminate this threat to their agricultural and other industries.
The Fire Ant must be declared a disaster with disaster funding.
Success against ants
The Daily Telegraph 13th of April 2001 page 10.
The article claims there has been some success at reducing the number of nests from 129 to 9 at the Queensland port of Fisherman Islands.
The ants live and work around the clock, for them there are no breaks no weekends off like humans, inactively could be a lack of worker ants and the queen may still be alive still laying eggs, it may not be so easy to claim a win just yet.
Fire Ant War Declared
The Daily Telegraph 10th of May 2001 page 16.
The Ant is un-checked and is on the march in southeast Queensland, a large area is now quarantined and every square metre will now have to be checked for nests.
The original estimate of 5 years for the invasion has been thrown out the window and is likely the ant has been with us much longer as some people have failed to notify the authorities after being bitten and others didn't notice a different variety of ant.
Hundreds of nests have now been found, and policing these areas will take a huge amount of labour resources.
Where is the Federal Government in this War, is it committed to the war?
Is the Federal Government helping with funding and scientific research, if so how much of an effort?
Fire Ant Colonisation Risk
The Daily Telegraph 5th of June 2001 page 15.
C.S.I.R.O. have warned the climate of Australia will favor the ant with 95 % of the continent able to be colonised.
430 sites have now been found in Queensland and 1or 2 or more sites in Victoria where the ants were transplanted by a delivery of palm trees in pots from a Queensland plant nursery.
These ants can travel 20 kilometres in a year through natural dispersal.
These ants act like an army, the Australian Army should be called in to identify and help destroy nests.
Scientists could help by developing a chemical trace to identify ant trails, if a nest is suspected but cannot be found an example of this would be amongst rocks and thick bushes in bushland areas.
Tasmania must install a full border inspection service to check for pests and diseases entering via inbound shipping and car ferries, aircraft to stop people introducing pests from the mainland.
Fire Ants a $6 billion threat
The Daily Telegraph 22nd June 2001 page 23.
A visiting US Texas scientist - "Entomologist" has declared the threat exists if the Fire Ant is not eradicated.
An - A.B.A.R.E. report estimates $6.3 billion would have to be spent over the next 30 years if the Ant breaks out of containment and spreads throughout Australia.
A.B.A.R.E. stands for the "Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics."
See the N.S.W. Minister for Agriculture Reply sent via E-Mail 10/07/2001 at 5:04 p.m.
A Current Affair
17th of July 2001
Late News Channel 10
17th of July 2001
Fire Ant War Declared Ch9 News 03/08/2001 10:30 p.m.
Terrifying: disaster alert as ants cut a path of destruction
Sydney Morning Herald Friday 24th of August 2001 page 9.
Australian native species move out when the Fire Ant moves in, even native species of ant are on the move.
Lizards have become the prey of the Fire Ant.
People are housebound in the infected areas since the ant has invaded and common chores like mowing lawns and gardening are now off their list of household maintenance work.
Property values have also fallen in the affected areas, people looking for a new home do not want a house with the ants.
The Ant has taken 23,000 hectares of land with 733 sites found but experts expect to find over 2000 sites.
The Ant must be declared a Bio-logical Hazard and dealt with the full resources of our States and Federal Government.
Fire Ants Marching in
The Daily Telegraph
12th of September 2001 page 22.
Expert warns the Ant may already be in Sydney and is expected in the future.
Buyers beware of level blocks in established areas as developers will sell you anything to make money including properties with loose fill on top.
The Fire Ant is in Victoria.
The Ant is a number of the highest order of pests in the world.
They are transported in potted plants and on vehicles underbody.
They can live almost anywhere including cracks or crevice in soil and rocky areas or even logs once disturbed they will swarm out and attack a person or animal attacking in unison by the thousands.
A typical Fire Ant nest has hundreds of thousands of worker ants and can have 4000 queens.
The Fire Ant invasion has been described as being worse than "Foot & Mouth Disease" as sheep and cattle can be removed to halt the spread but the Ant is an ongoing problem which will take enormous resources to control if not eliminate completely.
Fire Ants found in Container
The Daily Telegraph 17th of October 2001 page 12.
"States" a container with machinery from the US, had fire ants inside and they were incinerated on site.
Australia only checks 4 containers per thousand entering our country and this is a disgrace and needs to be increased to 100% checking of containers, not only for Fire Ants but also other illegal imports including drugs, live or dead bio-logical specimens that may have foot and mouth, bacteria, fungal spores, pathogens, bio-logical or chemical weapons.
If the Federal Government cannot fund inspections then the the States must, as all imports land at wharfs in 7 States.
A cost sharing arrangement may be the only way between the Federal Government and 7 States on a 50/50 basis, this would also help to generate jobs and pay taxes back into the economy and protect Australia's Agricultural Industries and peoples living standards in the future.
Alert over KILLER ANTS
The Sunday Telegraph 25th of November 2001 page 9.
N.S.W. Government is increasing urgent measures to stop migrating fire ants from Queensland, all governments have contributed $123 million to the fight so far.
Clearly more money needs to be spent on achieving results, if this ant gets away the result could be billions of dollars damage and losses especially to the agriculture industries and the residential property markets and tourism as no one will live with these critters swarming over their backyards.
Brisbane river frontage has 68,000 nests along its length.
Burkes Backyard Ch9
1st of March 2002
The Fire Ant appeared in this episode with the man who visits backyard gardens and gives horticulture lessons and advice to the people who need his expert advice.
At the end of the segment, advice was given to contact your Department of Agriculture if small aggressive biting or nipping red / brown ants are in your backyard.
A list was then displayed showing all Australian mainland states with contact numbers.
Has the Ant now spread through-out Australia? >>>>>> or
Is this list designed to get people looking in their backyards, to check if the ant has spread from Queensland?
One hopes this is only a precaution and that the Ant has been contained in Queensland.
A fact sheet is available from the shows website. >> Burkes Backyard Web Site. <<
6th of October 2004.
Fire Ants recently appeared in an episode of the popular Mcleods Daughters ch9 where they killed a lamb and started devouring the body, the ants where found in a potted plant as a prop for the outdoor wedding of Tess and Nick on the farm, the wedding was moved to another farm, the ants built their nest in the potted plant and the episode showed people being bitten around the potted plant.
