Specialised detection dogs have discovered new fire ant nests at five mine sites in central Queensland’s Bowen Basin.
The discoveries, announced on Tuesday, come six weeks after the highly invasive pest was found outside the south-east corner for the first time, when it was identified at the Broadmeadow Mine near Moranbah, more than 150 kilometres inland from Mackay.
The National Fire Ant Eradication Program (NFAEP) said in a statement the ants arrived in pallets of bricks that were stored on soil and transported more than 800km from south-east Queensland.
The surveillance occurred between August 12 and 14, and was confirmed on Monday.
Odour dogs spent days scoping out mine sites in central Queensland. (Supplied: National Fire Ant Eradication Program)
NFAEP operations director Tom Roberts said the ants were discovered at the new sites after the bricks were moved to other mines.
“At this point, we believe we’ve eliminated all known risks, and we’re just working with each mine site to confirm they’ve got all the relevant information in regards to identification,” he said.
The NFAEP on Tuesday said the new sites were in the Central Highlands and Isaac Council regions, but declined to reveal the names of the mines involved.
Odour dogs were used to find the new nests.
The nests have been destroyed using “direct nest injection”, with broadscale treatment applied to the surrounding areas.
Destructive pest spreads
The Invasive Species Council fears further outbreaks in central Queensland could take resources away from the main fire ant stronghold in the state’s south-east.
“It’s deeply concerning,” advocacy manager Reece Pianta said.
“It shows what we’ve known for a long time, and that is that if fire ants get into shipments from one site in the fire ant zone, they can spread to multiple parts of Australia all in one go.”
Fears Australia will lose war on fire ants
Mr Pianta said central Queensland’s dry climate would help eradication efforts.
“There isn’t a lot of food for the fire ants to forage there in that location to be able to build up their densities and increase,” he said.
“The evidence is that these fire nests have been there for a short period of time and probably haven’t spread locally, so it will be possible, I think, to eradicate them.”
Fire ants were first detected in Brisbane in 2001, with eradication work still underway in south-east Queensland.
In early July, a nest of the species was found in central Queensland for the first time, which NFAEP officers destroyed on July 9.
Follow-up aerial treatment using drones began on July 24, and a containment area was placed around the detection site.
NFAEP said surveillance of the area would continue for years.