New fire ant nest found 100km from Brisbane at Rathdowney on NSW border

Deadly fire ants are continuing their march across the southeast with a new nest discovered 100km southwest of Brisbane, one of the furthest sightings yet.

Deadly fire ants are continuing their march across the southeast with a new nest discovered at Rathdowney, 100km southwest of Brisbane, one of the furthest sightings yet.

The pests have now been found as far north as Eumundi on the Sunshine Coast and near Oakey, about 150km west of Brisbane.

Another nest was found just over the NSW border at Tweed Heads about a week ago, while two more outbreaks in northern NSW were destroyed after being detected in 2023 and last year.

In the latest sighting on July 6, a resident in Rathdowney, near the NSW border, reported a suspect nest on their rural property to the National Fire Ant Eradication Program.

Eradication officers inspected the site and confirmed the presence of fire ants, which are classed as one of the world’s worst invasive species.

Fire ant detections in southeast Queensland.

They destroyed the nest and applied a fire ant treatment to the surrounding area.

Eradication, including intensive treatment and surveillance, would now begin up to 500m from the detection site to ensure no undetected ants remained.

Compliance checks and tracing of materials would also be carried out to help determine the source of the ants.

Authorities urged people in the area to check their properties and report any suspect findings online or by calling 132 ANT (13 22 68).

Originally published as New fire ant nest found 100km from Brisbane at Rathdowney on NSW border