At our May working bee some ladies from the National Fire Ant Eradication Program (NFAEP) joined us and we swapped stories about regeneration and fire ant control.
The two are related because Fire Ants thrive on disturbed land so an organic way of managing them is to revegetate.
Fire ants have been in Australia since 2001.
The devastation they cause to health, the environment and the economy was well known so their arrival was taken very seriously.
Some people have concerns about the fire ant treatments, but one thing is for certain – if they settle in your backyard, you’ll do almost anything to get rid of them because they are aggressive, resulting in multiple severe stings.
All Australian Government as well as all states and territory governments contribute to the program because they want the ants stopped before they become a problem for them.
As a result, the spread has been slowed and there are signs of progress.
This is a war and an area of significant activity is the line where the fire ants are trying to gain new territory.
This is called the Blue Zone or Surveillance Area. Beechmont is in the Surveillance Area and that is why there is so much activity here.
If you have any concerns about fire ants being on your property, please contact fireants.org.au or by calling 13 22 68. They have a quarter of a century of experience dealing with this pest.
We all know how hard it is to stop ants from invading and this problem would be much more widespread if not for the NFAEP’s efforts.
