Fire ants march south
BIOSECURITY Queensland have closed off a field at Runaway Bay Soccer Club after several fire ant nests were discovered earlier this week.
The four fire ant nests were first spotted on Wednesday by council mowing staff, who have been trained in detecting the pest.
The site at the Lae Drive facility, which borders St Francis Xavier Catholic School, has now been sealed off and signage has been put in place to warn the public away.
Gold Coast City Council’s Senior Pest Specialist Iain Jamieson said it was possible the ants had arrived through “natural flight”.
“There are nests within three kilometres of this site,” he said. “Fire ants are known as being one of the most invasive pests in the world, and the city is on the front foot making sure they don’t push any further than they are.
“We’ve excluded the public from the nest because of the risk fire ants pose to people, but the ants are now being treated so we have complete faith the nest is no longer viable.”
Though it’s believed there have been no cases of fire ant bites on the Gold Coast, the consequences of a bite can be dire.
“The worst case scenario is anaphylactic shock from a fire ant sting,” Mr Jamieson said.
“Unfortunately you don’t know if you’re going to have that reaction until you’re bitten.
“If people do have fire ants … their first step should be to remove themselves from the area and then contact Biosecurity Queensland.”
Symptoms of a bite include pain, redness, swelling, itching and hives.
If a pet is bitten by fire ants it’s important to watch for allergic reactions including excessive swelling, trouble breathing, vomiting and collapse.
This is the southernmost point fire ants have been discovered on the Gold Coast, after they were spotted in several northern suburbs last month. Any suspicious ant activity should be reported to Biosecurity Queensland on 1332 523.