Fire ants found in Baringa bring grim warning for Sunshine Coast

An authority has sounded a grim warning after fire ants have been found in another Sunshine Coast suburb.

Reece Pianta (Advocacy manager invasive species council) Saturday March 22, 2025. Picture, John Gass

Fire ants are spreading on the Sunshine Coast with the Invasive Species Council warning the outbreak has hit a “critical point”.

A landscaper discovered a nest in Baringa, which was treated by the eradication program on Monday.

This nest is close to the sites of previous nests, something the experts from the Invasive Species Council say means a more significant infestation is present with more undetected nests.

The Sunshine Coast had no infestations 12 months ago until one emerged in Nirimba in July last year and one in North Arm.

Invasive Species Council advocacy director Reece Pianta said the finds were alarming.

“The frequency of new Sunshine Coast detections raises the spectre that fire ants have escaped the northern containment boundary, risking large-scale infestation,” he said.

“We are concerned that this is a sign that the infestation is more significant than we know at the moment.”

Reece Pianta (Advocacy manager invasive species council) Saturday March 22, 2025. Picture, John Gass

He is urgently calling on the government, council, fire ant program and community to unite for a winter fire ant surveillance blitz before it is too late.

“We need to check and find every undetected nest out there so that we all know how big this problem is,” Mr Pianta said.

He said the newest nest could have been transported in turf from Brisbane or just as easily from a local spread event that authorities were unaware of.

He claimed the nests may have slipped through “biosecurity zone cracks” up to a year ago.

“It’s the unknown factor that is the concern,” Mr Pianta said.

Mr Pianta said there was a high risk that undetected nests would start to spread and become out of control.

An ant nest. Picture John Gass

“Repeat detections are a clear sign that a well-resourced winter blitz is essential to uncover unknown nests before they spread in the warmer months, when ants begin to fly, spread and multiply,” he said

Mr Pianta is calling on the Albanese government to match Queensland’s $24m suppression funding boost and commit to the full ongoing eradication program.

“Fire ants are among the world’s worst invasive pests and their aggressive stings can trigger severe allergic reactions in humans, can be lethal and they pose a serious threat to pets, livestock, native animals and infrastructure,” he said.

“If fire ants escape the current containment zone, they will spread across the country, devastating agriculture, threatening public health, and damaging our wildlife and way of life.”

Report any nest sighting to the fire ant program fireants.org.au.

Originally published as Fire ants found in Baringa bring grim warning for Sunshine Coast