Calls for vehicle checks at popular Aussie island as invasive species spreads

Yahoo

08-05-2025

Calls are growing for routine biosecurity checks on one of Australia's most iconic tourist islands, as concerns mount over the spread of one of the nation's most destructive invasive species.
Five colonies of yellow crazy ants (YCA) have now been detected in Maryborough in Queensland, a key access point to K'gari, following earlier detections in Booral, a Hervey Bay suburb near the airport and barge terminal used by thousands of tourists.
Despite more than 500,000 people visiting K'gari each year, there are currently no routine biosecurity checks in place. Traditional custodians fear that unchecked vehicles, including those of tourists, residents and four-wheel-drive users, could carry yellow crazy ants or other invasive pests across to the fragile island ecosystem.
Reece Pianta from the Invasive Species Council said if left unchecked, the notorious pests have the potential to wreak economic and ecological disaster. "YCA form super colonies, but the individual ants do not bite," Pianta told Yahoo News recently. "Instead, they spray formic acid to blind and kill their prey.
"And although they're tiny, they can swarm in great numbers, killing much larger animals like lizards, frogs, small mammals, turtle hatchlings and bird chicks, and reshaping entire ecosystems."
Sue Sargent, chair of the Natural Integrity Alliance for K'gari, warned that the ants' growing presence on the mainland makes their arrival on the island almost inevitable without stronger biosecurity.
She said the lack of preventative measures currently poses a serious threat to both tourism and native wildlife, and that the spread of the species would be devastating for K'gari.
"It's extremely concerning," she told the ABC. "We're sort of lining up for a perfect storm in terms of tourism implications and [impacts] on [threatened] species … we've got no preventative measures in place at all, so it's really a matter of time.
"It would be devastating for K'gari to get this species."
Now, traditional custodians say vehicle checks could be one pivotal way to fight back against the spread.
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With half a million visitors travelling to the island each year — many bringing four-wheel drives, trailers, and camping gear — the risk of inadvertently transporting ants or their eggs is significant. Vehicles, especially those carrying soil, plant matter or organic debris, can easily become carriers.
The Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation suggested introducing a rinsing or wash-down process before vehicles board barges to K'gari, which would help dislodge any hidden insects or potential contaminants.
Similar biosecurity measures are already in place in other sensitive areas across Australia, such as Tasmania and Kangaroo Island, and have proven effective in slowing the spread of pests and diseases.
Advocates argue that implementing these checks at key access points like Hervey Bay and Maryborough could dramatically reduce the risk of YCA gaining a foothold on the World Heritage-listed island.
Fraser Coast Regional Council said that while yellow crazy ant colonies in Maryborough have been treated, full eradication is unlikely for now. The council has a long-term plan to tackle the problem, but currently receives no state or federal funding to support its efforts.
Pianta, from the Invasive Species Council, is aware of the funding issue. He warned that currently, "there is no systematic eradication effort" as there is with the better known fire ants.
"Responses are left to local authorities, who struggle to find reliable funding for control efforts. There should be more reliable funding to support local councils and environment groups," he said.
Australian pesticide expert David Priddy said if not stopped in their tracks, YCA could threaten Queensland with an economic catastrophe. "[They are] putting the state's sugar cane and tourism industries at risk and threatening devastating impacts on local communities," he said.
YCA are believed to have entered Australia through international trade, most likely hitching a ride in cargo shipments. Native to Southeast Asia, they were first detected in Queensland in the early 2000s and have since become one of the country's most invasive species.
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