The fire ants in greater Brisbane city are becoming quite a bit of a hassle for the officials in-charge of this matter. .
There are a lot of nests being found every week and in the recent paper Mr John Grant said " I strongly encourage residents to check their own properties".
The reason for him to say this is because fire ants can kill a human and it is possible to stop them from doing any harm by using chemicals to get rid of them as was done in Augustus Park at Kingston. .
Fire ants have already hospitalized many people mainly the young. .
Parents should always watch their children playing and make sure they stay away from any ants nests if they are not sure what type of ants they are. .
If you find any nest, DO NOT TOUCH IT. Try to identify if it is a fire ant nest, which appears as a closed, dome-shaped mound (that is, no opening) up to 40 cm high. In contrast, many native ants build a smaller nest with one or more obvious openings. However, in some soil types, fire ants may not form obvious mounds, particularly in the early months of nest development.
If you do detect fire ants at any location they should contact the authorities or DPI call center on 13 25 23.
Fire ants inflict a fiery sting, which causes a small blister or pustule to form at the site of each sting after several hours. The blisters become itchy while healing and are prone to infection if broken. .
Fire ants look just like regular house ants. They are Reddish-brown in colour on the head and body, with a darker abdomen.
Come in a variety of sizes within one nest, .
ranging from 2mm to 6 mm. This is a distinguishing feature of fire ants.
Picture of a fire ant.