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Fire ant gallery
To report suspect ants please complete the online form or contact Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23
Please click on an image or its title to view a larger version.
Red imported fire ants
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Fire ant comparison Fire ants compared with common native ants of Australia. -
Fire ant stinging Fire ants grip onto their victim with their mandibles and pierce the skin with the stinger on the end of their abdomen to inject their venom. -
Fire ant size rangeFire ants range in size from 2 to 6 mm. A range of worker ants is shown along with a queen.
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Fire ants on a pen Fire ants are small and vary in size as shown compared to a pen -
Fire ant worker Fire ant workers have coppery-brown heads and bodies, with a darker abdomen -
Fire ant size comparison Fire ant size compared to a dollar coin
Fire ant nests
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Nest in garden material Fire ants will build their nest under and around garden materials -
Fire ant mound Fire ants will build their nests upwards to draw in heat from the sun -
Fire ant nest Nests have no visible entry or exit holes -
Fire ant nest near a footpath Fire ant nest near a footpath. -
Nest under refuse Fire ant nest under refuse -
Nest in pot plant Fire ants can be transported in high risk materials such as pot plants. The pot plant on the left has a fire ants nest in it. -
Nest near electrical systemNests near electrical systems can cause serious damage and start fires.
Fire ant impacts
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Social impacts Fire ants have the potential to impact on all of our outdoor activities. When fire ants attack, small blisters or pustules form at the site of each sting after several hours -
Environmental impacts Fire ants readily attack wildlife. Here a herron chick is attacked and killed by fire ants -
Agricultural impacts Fire ants have the potential to cause considerable damage and financial loss to the agricultural industry -
Pastural impacts Health of livestock can be impeded by fire ants stinging moist areas such as eyes, nostrils and mouth of grazing animals. This image shows a calf's eyeball which has been blinded as a result of fire ant stings
Fire ant operations
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Surveillance Surveillance is conducted on properties to ensure there hasn't been a further spread of fire ants -
Diagnostics All suspicious fire ants are identified under the microscope -
Treatment - hand held spreader Field officers treat residential areas by spreading bait with a hand held spreader -
Treatment - Bait shaker Field staff member dispersing fire ant bait treatment with a bait shaker. -
Treatment - ATV Large areas are treated by use of All Terrain Vehicles. -
Treatment - aerial Properties larger than 5 hectares are targeted for aerial treatment. -
Treatment - nest injection Fire ant nests are treated with a direct injection of chemicals -
Fire ant detection dog Aka can pick up the scent of fire ants and find their nest
Author: Christine Windle
Page maintained by Jessica Thompson
Last updated 08 September 2011