Residents across Logan City whose properties are plagued by fire ants have slammed the government’s eradication system as “a joke”.
A former park ranger at Riverdale Park and Meadowbrook resident, Stuart Webber, said he had been fighting the invasive species for 15 years.
And he has the scars to prove it, with bite marks peppered along his legs and hands.
Now retired, Mr Webber spends a lot of his spare time locating fire ant nests in the area and killing them – last month he treated more than 1300 nests in just six days.
He said the ants were all over local streets, nature strips, parks and properties, and would probably never be eradicated.
“To see it happening in front of your nose… what a bloody shame,” he said.
He said the issues were systemic, starting with an onerous and confusing reporting method.
“By law you’re supposed to report it when you see a nest, but the reporting system is bloody horrendous,” he said.
Mr Webber said the process of reporting, including questions about the ants’ colour, nest and location, were confusing.
“Then a field team finally comes out and takes a sample, and later you’ll get an email back confirming it’s a fire ant and to schedule you into the program,” he said.
“But by the time someone comes out to treat them, the scene has changed – these nests pop up overnight.
“Their field methodology is guaranteed to fail.”
Some fire ants can fly up to 5km and even survive flooding, grouping together to form a “raft” on top of water.
“It’s inundation causing the problem, and a lack of interest from certain landholders – they’re super-breeders,” he said.
Even those who are following the government’s treatment instructions, Mr Webber said, are making a minimal impact.
Over the years, Mr Webber documented himself treating nests.
He would spread the bait directly on and around the nests, as instructed, and watch as black ants and birds would eat the granules of bait before the fire ants even touched them.
Contrary to the government’s advice, Mr Webber said the most effective method, other than a $200 bottle of chemicals, was to “scalp” the top off the nest and poor the bait inside.
Further west at North Maclean, property owner Barbara Crummer had similar experiences.
She said authorities were not “proactive enough” and needed to hire more staff to help locals treat their properties.
Ms Crummer said a team came out to treat nests on her 4.44ha property but left at least 30 untouched.
“The authorities want you to be active yourself and buying products to treat them, which I have,” she said.
“But on the property next door to me, around 31ha, I can see ant mounds up to my knee in height, which have never been treated because it is rented out.
“And the field teams aren’t given enough time – they only have one hour for each property… and often I have to wait ages for them to come out, and when they do come out, the queens have flown off and started another colony.”
Ms Crummer said she received her first lot of bait seven months after she reported ants.
“And it was only enough to treat a 300-400sqm yard,” she said.
It doesn’t matter how many nests are treated on the property, they keep coming back, Ms Crummer said.
Logan Village resident Sue Smith’s 10ha property is also infested.
“It’s been an issue here for the last 20-odd years,” she said.
“I’ve contacted the authorities so many times over the years, but their attitude is a joke.
Ms Smith said a field team came to treat around half of her property, where they found 100 nests.
“… but they’re still active now,” she said.
“Years ago, you would ring up and it would be six months before you would hear from anyone; I rang up three weeks ago and they said they would be in touch, but I haven’t heard anything yet.”
Both Ms Smith and her husband have been stung many times.
She said the pain was “excruciating”.
“It hurts like hell, to put it politely,” she said.
“They bite in mass, and one will bite you half a dozen times, and then you end up with these pustule sores.
“I’m anaphylactic from bees and wasps, and I haven’t had anything more than spots come up, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be worse in the future.”
A spokesperson from the National Fire Ant Eradication Program said eradication treatment has not yet reached Logan.
“Logan is in the suppression area. Property owners and tenants in this area need to look for, report, and treat fire ants on their properties until eradication treatment reaches their area,” the spokesperson said.
“This proactive approach prevents the pests from building more nests and infesting your property and the community.”
She said the aim was to eradicate fire ants by 2032.
“Eradicating fire ants will not be easy,” she said.
“Australia’s Fire Ant Response Plan 2023–27 focuses on strengthening containment and compliance, and intensifying program-led and community treatment using a systematic, outside-in approach.
“As fire ants are cleared from areas, treatment will progressively move inwards until all areas are free of fire ants.”
