Fire Ant Alert: How to check your yard
Invasive fire ants have been detected in Nirimba (Bells Creek). With their painful bite and other devastating impacts, here's how to identify and report fire ant nests to keep your yard safe.
Biosecurity Queensland
Fire ants are highly invasive, pack a painful sting, can have devastating effects and they’ve been detected in our region – but you can help prevent their spread and keep your backyard safe.
The National Fire Ant Eradication Program has confirmed two fire ant nests were detected in Nirimba, with an emergency response now underway to assess the extent of the fire ant infestation and develop a treatment plan.
How should I check for fire ants?
Fire ants are:
- copper brown in colour and have a darker abdomen.
- 2–6 mm in length with a variety of sizes found in each nest.
- found in nests that appear as mounds or patches of loose soil and have no clear obvious entry or exit holes.
How to check for fire ants on your property
How to report
If you think you may have fire ants, take a close-up image of the ants or nest and report it on the National Fire Ant Eradication Program website or by calling 13 25 23 as soon as possible.
Why are fire ants so concerning?
Fire ants can have devastating impacts on our environment, economy, human and animal health, and our outdoor way of life.
Fire ants are attracted to disturbed soil and other organic materials, and they can be transported through human-assisted movement of such products.
This is the greatest risk to their spread.
Fire ants were last detected on the Sunshine Coast in Beerwah in 2017 and declared eradicated in 2020.
Visit fireants.org.au for more information including fire ant first aid, maps of detected nests and more.