Going crazy for more volunteers
A TASKFORCE dedicated to eradicating yellow crazy ants from the Far North is calling on members of the public to join the cause.
A workshop to make sticky traps to capture the invasive pest will be held this Saturday from 2-4pm at the Kuranda Envirocare nursery, 284 Myola Rd Kuranda.
Yellow Crazy Ants (YCA) Community Taskforce co-ordinator Sylvia Conway said she was looking for volunteers to help create up to 2000 traps.
She said the Wet Tropics YCA team and James Cook University scientists had teamed up to create the sticky trap.
“The Yellow Crazy Ant Eradication Program is making good headway and we need all the help we can get with our regular sticky trap making workshops in 2019,” she said.
“Sticky traps are the latest methodology of detecting presence and absence of YCA.
“We have all the materials ready to go and need at least 10 people for two hours to create a little production line.
“The taskforce is responsible for making at least 2000 traps so we need all the support we can get.”
Once completed, the sticky traps will be deployed in affected areas after the wet season.
“YCA numbers are at an alltime low since the infestation was detected in 2014,” Ms Conway said.
The Wet Tropics Management Authority announced last month that the residences and surrounding forested area at Waterfall Close, Edmonton were now clear of the invasive pest.
It is the third site in the Far North where yellow crazy ants has been successfully eradicated.
Anyone interested in helping make sticky traps this weekend is asked to RSVP for catering purposes.
Visit the Kuranda Yellow Crazy Ant Community Taskforce Facebook page for more details.