Just as it seemed that things could not get much worse for householders and travellers affected by floods in Queensland and northern NSW, a new threat has emerged from aggressive fire ants floating south to affect new areas with their painful presence.
During floods, the invasive ants form rafts by linking their legs together, allowing them to float and survive in floodwaters, and even travel long distances to find new, dry land to establish colonies on farmland and areas such as municipal facilities, playgrounds, sports grounds and camping and recreational areas used by adventure travellers.
Sixty people in Queensland alone have reported extreme reactions to fire ant stings requiring medical attention this month, with 23 people hospitalised in south-east Queensland as the pests move south to take a toll on parents, children, pets, livestock, and farmers' bottom lines. Residents in affected areas are now pleading for more help.
The Queensland government announced extra funding to help to tackle invasive fire ants, while the NSW government has announced that it will ban fire ant-carrying materials, such as hay, from infested and storm-impacted south-east Queensland areas from entering the state, in an effort to prevent an infestation. "The impacts of Tropical Cyclone Alfred are being felt in our agricultural sector in the north of the state," said NSW Minister for Agriculture, Tara Moriarty.
A specialist in surface treatments to stop Red Imported Fire Ants (RIFA) hitching a ride on vehicles to spread further after they have floated south, Amanda Lintott, says the tiny creatures are the ultimate unwanted hitchhikers.
"They can crawl into a vehicle, tray load, or dry site anywhere and remain hidden until they bite – then everyone will know.
Fire ants can swarm onto people and animals within a few seconds and sting simultaneously, injecting venom that causes a painful local reaction. Each ant can deliver multiple stings.
Once they get to a new destination on dry land where they can set up a colony, they can travel overland or underground to infest new areas. Colonies typically number from 100,000-500,000 ants – or millions, in the case of super colonies.
Fire ant queens can fly up to five kilometres to establish new nests, or considerably more with favourable winds. But when they hitch a ride on a vehicle, where they are hard to detect if they get among loads, they can travel much greater distances.
"Ultimately, the risk they pose is to infest all of Australia and most of Tasmania," said Amanda, who recently became the first in Australia to introduce an automotive surface treatment to kill and prevent the pests in vehicles, through her brand of products, Autonomy Co.
Amanda's RoadBlock Spider and Ant Automotive Treatment has been approved by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, APVMA, for use on vehicles and machinery carrying material that may unwittingly carry the aggressive insects from one infestation to place new locations at risk.
Effective upon hitch-hiking pests within minutes of contact, the all-Australian formulation also protects drivers and passengers against painful and distracting infestations and bites from the aggressive pests that can hurt adults, children and pet travellers.
"This flood-borne spread is a serious problem a lot of people are not aware of. Since the floods, entire RIFA colonies have been filmed clinging on to debris, ready to make nests on dry ground in Queensland and beyond.
"Experts have been reported warning that extreme weather events could sweep the highly invasive species into other parts of Australia, now and in the future.
"Private and commercial drivers often won't even know they have unwelcome guests aboard or about their vehicle until they sting," says Amanda.
RoadBlock is a commercial grade aerosol product specifically designed to treat and prevent ants in vehicles including cars, trucks, recreational vehicles, campers, 4WDs, fleets and heavy vehicles and agricultural machinery that can spread the pest.
"RoadBlock is the only ready-to-use pest control product in Australia specifically approved for vehicles, and the latest approval will allow us to join the fight against the dangerous spread of fire ants. We can now assist drivers, travellers, and fleet owners who live or work in high risk areas, to reduce the chances of further spreading beyond Queensland and Northern NSW," says Amanda.
The tiny (6mm long) but enormously destructive RIFA pest is capable of forming colonies in 99 per cent of mainland Australia and 80 per cent of Tasmania if left unchecked, or carried unwittingly, to new areas by vehicles and machinery that passes through contaminated areas. To date, multiple colonies have been found in Queensland and Northern NSW, but RIFA are quickly heading further south towards Victoria.
Under the Biosecurity Act 2014, everyone – including individuals and organisations – has a general biosecurity obligation (GBO) to take all reasonable steps to prevent the spread of fire ants.
The long nozzle applicator ensures the spray is directed precisely to problem areas – including mirrors, wheel arches and grilles, weather covers, water storages, battery bays, and any warm restful hollow spaces that appeal to insects.
A benefit of this type of application, is that users don't have to fumigate the entire vehicle – just use small amounts in the key areas, to protect against new infestations.
RoadBlock can be obtained from the Autonomy website.
About us:
About Autonomy
Autonomy is an Australian brand of products for cars, caravans and campers. Founded by Amanda Lintott, Autonomy launched in 2022. Amanda has a long history in the automotive industry in Australia and is based in Sydney. RoadBlock is available online at www.autonomyco.com.au, on Amazon, and at select retailers.
