Smelly pests: Qld authorities on high alert over dangerous ants and stink beetles
Queensland Biosecurity officers are scouring boats headed for the state to head off a threat from dangerous species of ants and stink bugs
QLD News
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STINK bugs that emit an odour like smelly socks have been caught on boats due to dock in Queensland, raising fears of a quarantine threat.
And a species of ant that can destroy electrical wiring and damage crops has been found at the Port of Brisbane, in a move that has sparked a major eradication effort.
Queensland Biosecurity authorities have beefed up port checks in a bid to stop the unwelcome visitors getting a foothold in the state.
An infestation of browsing ants was detected in April at a site which handles empty shipping containers.
Brown marmorated stink bugs were found in cargo from China. After a three-month decontamination effort at Lytton, Fisherman’s Island and New Chum at Ipswich, Queensland has been declared free of the pest.
The beetles were found on 25 ships bound for Brisbane last summer and 15 boats this season.
“It would be a catastrophe if these two invasive species get established here,” Agriculture Development Minister Mark Furner said.
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