Fire ants are out of control: moving into previously fire ant free suburbs and tightening their grip on suburbs they have already invaded. But Biosecurity Queensland’s fire ant map is nearly a year out of date. Is Biosecurity Queensland trying to cover-up this disaster and its own incompetence? In August 2015, 259 suburbs in the Brisbane, Gold Coast, Ipswich, Redlands, Logan City Council areas and the Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim and Somerset Regional Council areas were infested with fire ants. By February 2016, there were 276 infested suburbs in south-east Queensland because Biosecurity Queensland had to re-instate suburbs it had prematurely declared fire ant free. On 1st July 2016, when Biosecurity Queensland published its last fire ant map, 280 suburbs in south-east Queensland were infested. Nearly a year later, there are at least 11 more newly infested suburbs and the infestations have gotten worse in at least 17 other ones. Biosecurity Queensland wants the public to report fire ant nests. The public have done their bit: detecting 70% of new nests. But the public cannot remain vigilant in their search for fire ant nests if Biosecurity Queensland can’t keep its maps up to date. Or is Biosecurity Queensland’s covering-up an exploding fire ant infestation and more evidence of its own incompetence? 12 June 2017
Biosecurity Queensland’s fire ant map is nearly a year out of date and fire ants are out of control: moving into previously fire ant free suburbs in south-east Queensland and tightening their hold on suburbs they have already infested.
Biosecurity Queensland relies on the public to detect new nests. The public have detected 70% of new infestations. But how is the public to remain vigilant in their search for fire ant nests if Biosecurity Queensland cannot keep its maps up to date? Or is Biosecurity Queensland covering-up the exploding fire ant infestation and their own incompetence?
In August 2015, there were 259 suburbs in the Brisbane, Gold Coast, Ipswich, Redlands and Logan City Council areas and the Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim and Somerset Regional Council areas that were infested with fire ants.
By February 2016, 276 suburbs in south-east Queensland were infested, and worse, Biosecurity Queensland had to up-grade the fire ant status of some suburbs as the infestation worsened. Prior to February 2016, Biosecurity Queensland had declared a lot of suburbs fire ant free. In the Brisbane City Council area they were Camp Hill, Chapel Hill, Coorparoo, Holland Park, Indooroopilly, Kenmore, Norman Park, the Brisbane Airport, Eagle Farm and Pinkenba. In the Gold Coast City Council area they were Coomera, Upper Coomera and Willowvale. In the Ipswich City Council area, they were Haigslea and Milbong. In the Scenic Rim Regional Council area, Allenview was declared fire ant free. And in the Logan City Council area, Woodhill had been declared fire ant free. After February 2016 Biosecurity Queensland declared all those suburbs to be infested with fire ants – again, or still.
Also prior to February 2016, Biosecurity Queensland has declared some suburbs to have only ‘low risk’ infestations. After February 2016, Biosecurity Queensland had to declare that many of those suburbs had become ‘high risk’ infestations. They were Beenleigh, Carbrook, Eagleby, Kairabah in the Logan City Council area; Alberton, Norwell, and Woongoolba in the Gold Coast City Council area; Tamborine, Kagaru and Milora in the Scenic Rim Regional Council area; Figtree Pocket in the Brisbane City Council area and Calvert and Lanefield in the Ipswich City Council area
The last time Biosecurity Queensland published a fire ant map was on 1st July 2016; nearly a year ago. That map abandoned all pretence of defining some suburbs as low risk and others as high risk. After 1st July 2016, 280 suburbs were simply identified as being infested.
Since 1st July 2016, fire ants have continued to spread into at least eleven previously fire ant free suburbs and tightened their grip in at least seventeen suburbs.
Since 1st July 2016, eleven new suburbs have become infested. In the Brisbane City Council area, Bracken Ridge, Brookfield, Greenslopes, Upper Kedron (on the edge of the Moreton Bay Regional Council area), East Brisbane, Fairfield and Holland Park West have become infested. In the Ipswich City Council area, Pine Mountain (close to the Somerset Regional Council area) became infested. In the Lockyer Valley Regional Council area Kensington Gove became infested and more than 100 nests were found in Laidley Creek West. And in the Scenic Rim area, Munbilla became infested with fire ants.
Since 1st July 2016, in at least seventeen suburbs, the fire ant infestation has got worse. In the Brisbane City Council area, another 65 mounds were found in Wacol (the site one of the earliest detections and one of the most treated suburbs); more than 300 nests were found in Greenbank and St Lucia was found to be infested for a second time after 2015. In the Gold Coast City Council area, another 65 nests were found in Yatala and another 200 nests were found in Pimpama and significant infestations were found in Ormeau Hills, Kingsholme, Gilberton and Norwell. In the Ipswich City Council area, 67 nests were found at Willowbank, more than a hundred nests were found at Purga, 120 nests were found at Brookwater, more than 100 nests were found near Rosewood and a ‘major infestation’ was found by the public at Augustine Heights. In the Lockyer Valley Regional Council area, more than 300 nests were found at Forest Hill, a significant infestation was found at Crowley Vale and a significant infestation was found at Laidley South because Biosecurity Queensland had not inspected it before. And more than 400 nests were found at Peak Crossing in the Scenic Rim Regional Council area.
Biosecurity Queensland has spent $400m of public money over the past sixteen years: much of it wasted. Fire ants are moving into previously fire ant free areas and tightening their grip in places they have already invaded. The fire ant infestation in south-east Queensland now covers 400,000ha – ten times more than in 2001- because of Biosecurity Queensland’s incompetence..
The Australian Agricultural Ministers Council will meet in July to decide the future of the National Red Imported Fire Ant Eradication Program. For the sake of Queensland and the rest of Australia we have to hope the Ministers decide to continue to fund a fire ant program. But the Ministers will be throwing more good public money after bad if Biosecurity Queensland continues to run any future fire ant program.