Invasive Fire Ants Moved to a New "Wetter" Environment After Old Hills Damaged by Wildfire

Invasive fire ants have expanded their Australian invasion by banding together and building floating rafts with their bodies to live for weeks at a time during recent flooding in Queensland.

(Photo : Image From Steven Paultanis)

Building Rafts

In Queensland, eradication agents got photographs of the hazardous ants building rafts in flood waters.

One of the pest's most astounding survival strategies is this. Hundreds of thousands of ants bind their bodies together, trapping air bubbles to keep them floating.

Colonies may last for weeks because of the multi-layered structures that keep rescued queens, their eggs, larvae, and pupae secure and dry. The ants on the bottom take turns keeping an eye on each other to ensure they don't drown.

What Comes After the Flood

When the floodwaters recede, the rafts can be deposited in other regions, allowing the species to spread and endangering ground-dwelling local animals, agricultural operations, and human health.

Dr. Ross Wylie is the research lead for the $400 million National Fire Ant Eradication Program, which is entrusted with eradicating the invasive invader endemic to flood-prone areas of South America.

"One of the ways fire ants colonize new places is via rafting," he said. "This has been documented in south-east Queensland, especially in Purga near Ipswich and around Logan."

They can float for weeks until they reach dry land or a suitable location to re-establish a nest.

Dr. Wylie added that eradication personnel detects an upsurge in fire ant activity reports during wet weather.

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Stuck in the Awful Weather

The ants were probably present before the rain, but because they don't make nests in hot, dry conditions, people were unaware, he added.

"We prepare for such events and have people on standby to deal with any infestation." People can either hire a pest control company or buy fire ant bait from a nearby shop and treat their home themselves."

Fire ant nests can be formed like domes or flattened down to resemble a tiny area of disturbed dirt. They also don't have any visible entry or exit points.

The Invasive Species Council's chief executive, Andrew Cox, said there was a significant chance that recent flooding in Queensland would have resulted in the highly invasive species spreading to new places.

"Fire ants may wreak havoc on local fauna and make backyards and parks uninhabitable," he added.

"They have been accused of killing pets and blamed for over 85 human deaths in the United States."

"This emphasizes the need of overcoming the delays in lowering the outbreak's extent and getting the eradication campaign back on track."

Fire Ant Eradication

The federal, state, and territory governments contribute to the current fire ant eradication initiative.

According to a recent analysis of the program, more resources are needed if governments are to eliminate fire ants in Queensland and Australia successfully.

"We'd want to see governments invest more in this essential program and establish an independent authority to oversee it," Cox added.