Latest news with #Pianta
The Guardian
24-03-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Fire ant sting hospitalisations surge post-Cyclone Alfred as reports of first pet death also emerge
Twenty-three people have been hospitalised with serious fire ant stings amid a surge in reports of the invasive pest in the aftermath of Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred and a new $24m package targeting suppression of the insect. The National Fire Ant Eradication Program has received notifications of 60 serious red imported fire ant (Rifa) stings in south-east Queensland since 1 March, with 23 serious enough to warrant hospital care. Separately, a puppy stung to death 15 months ago was reportedly the first pet killed in Queensland by the ants. A program spokesperson said: 'Fire ants deliver painful, fiery stings that can cause severe, and sometimes fatal, reactions in humans, pets, and animals,' citing National Allergy Centre of Excellence and Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia figures that show up to 7.5% of people stung require medical attention. The reported rates of fire ants stings were well above average, said Reece Pianta, the advocacy manager at the Invasive Species Council. Most people stung were doing cyclone clean-up work at the time, he said. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email 'It just shows you what a serious risk fire ants pose to anyone who's got a job that requires them to go outdoors, or who enjoys bush walking or barbecues on the beach,' he said. 'It tells us what the future will be like across the country if fire ant densities grow and spread everywhere.' The impacts of growing Rifa densities on pets was also becoming clearer, Pianta said. 'We are getting a lot of reports of animals having anaphylactic reactions in parks [and] of insect sting events causing animal fatalities,' he said. Fifteen months ago, Ebony Britton's puppy was found dead on a fire ant nest in Greenbank, near Logan. Pianta said it was the first pet death he could definitively say was caused by fire ants. Pianta said back-to-back flooding events, under-resourcing and inadequate support for property owners was to blame on an 'explosion' in fire ant numbers. The council has warned that flood events spread the super-pest. 'I can easily think of half a dozen locations south of Brisbane where I can go and see 100 nests right now. That is something that's changed in the last 18 months.' He said earlier modelling showed that were fire ants to become endemic, 150,000 Australians each year would need medical attention because of fire ants stings. On Monday, the Queensland government announced a $24m boost to Queensland's Fire Ant Suppression taskforce, which will target 212,000 hectares (523,862 acres) within the region's suppression zone over the next two years. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion The Crisafulli government said the treatment would reduce Rifa density in the fire ant suppression zone by up to 80%, focusing on areas along the Logan and Albert rivers and parts of the Scenic Rim, where Rifa densities were highest. The Queensland minister for primary industries, Tony Perrett, said: 'We're hitting fire ants hard in the suppression zone, doubling down on suppression efforts to deal with this destructive pest before it impacts more Queenslanders. 'By working with other states and the commonwealth … I am very confident we will be able to prevent a fully fledged invasion.' Pianta said the federal government now needed to match the funds. 'That's why this funding announcement is so timely, and why it is essential that we see a federal commitment about this at the coming election. This is an issue the community is very concerned about in Queensland at the moment,' he said. Rifa are native to South America and are believed to have arrived in Australia via infected materials on ships at the port of Brisbane in 2001 but may have been present in the country since 1992. They are dark reddish-brown with darker abdomens and pose a widespread risk to native wildlife, industry and Australia's way of life. The pest has now spread to more than 700,000 hectares (1.73m acres) in the Brisbane region and outlier detections have in the past year been found in Oakey, the Sunshine Coast and northern NSW.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Major $24 million move to tackle 'ticking time bomb' threatening Australia
A state government has announced it is injecting a further $24 million into its plans for tackling fire ants, with the invasive threat being described as a "ticking time bomb" that could change Australia as we know it. Reece Pianta from the Invasive Species Council (ISC) said the Queensland government needed to "ramp up" its eradication plan, warning the risk of fire ants from completely spreading across the country was one bad weather event away after the floods caused by Cyclone Alfred caused alarming movement. It comes after Yahoo News reported a Brisbane teenager was hospitalised when fire ant stings set off a life-threatening allergic reaction, which highlighted the devastating threat the invasive species has on Aussies. After the announcement of the increased funding on Monday, Pianta told Yahoo News it was definitely a step in the right direction — but much more had to be done. "This is targeted funding to help manage fire ants in the suppression zone where we're starting to see significant reports of fire ant sting events on humans and animals," he told Yahoo. "But containment is not a long-term solution... the ants only need to find a way through the containment boundary to a new location. The quicker we eradicate them, the more secure the country will be against the risk." The Queensland funding will be rolled out over two years and focus on the areas where fire ants have already inhabited, such as southeast areas of the state. The funds are on top of the $38 million already committed over five years. The federal government's fire ant eradication plan involves injecting $592 million over four years and will focus heavily on the detection and treatment of the ants in the containment area. However, the ISC fears this won't be enough. "It isn't just a problem for Queensland, this is a problem for the whole nation... there's a huge risk of them spreading and getting out of control," Pianta said. "It needs to be an election issue. "It's getting worse... we're starting to get regular reports from people in the community that fire ants are allegedly stinging pets and humans... we're starting to see the predicted health and animal welfare impacts from fire ants." 🏡 Property owners called to action over 'world's worst' invasive threat 🚨 Photo reveals 'devastating' threat fenced off as Australia on high alert 👶 Strangers find Aussie toddler wandering alone, covered in ants There are increasingly more Aussies starting to have run-ins with fire ants as the insects establish themselves in southeast Queensland, with more than 50 Queenslanders experiencing fire ant stings since Cyclone Alfred alone, according to the ISC. A Brisbane teenager was hospitalised after fire ant stings set off a life-threatening allergic reaction. There have also been reports of pets such as dogs and horses being stung. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
The Guardian
12-03-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
Expert concerned as large rafts of invasive fire ants seen floating in flood waters after Cyclone Alfred
Fire ants are forming rafts to survive and travel on flood waters caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred in south-east Queensland as experts warn extreme weather events could sweep the highly invasive species into other parts of Australia. Footage captured in the Scenic Rim and northern Gold Coast in recent days shows red imported fire ants (Rifas) grouping together and floating on flood waters. Clumps of the ants can then be seen forming nests on previously uninfested land after waters receded. Kirsty McKenna, who filmed the fire ants rafting on her Allenview property, said entire colonies were clinging on to debris and staying buoyant, ready to make nests on dry ground. 'There's piles of them everywhere, floating through the waterway, heading to the Logan River,' she says in the video. Reece Pianta, advocacy manager at the Invasive Species Council, said the colonies were likely to have spread several kilometres from their starting points, with larger rafts more likely to have travelled further. 'The risk of fire ants spreading in flood waters after a disaster is very high and we're very concerned about it,' he said. The rare phenomenon was also filmed in floods early last year. It was the first time Pianta had seen footage of the unusual adaptive behaviour in Australia. 'This year, the rafts appear to be much larger, they're pointing to higher densities of fire ants and bigger colonies,' he said. Heavy rainfall in southern Queensland will spread high-density infestations regionally and could also sweep fire ants into carrier materials such as turf, which could then inadvertently relocate the pests to other parts of the country, he said. 'We're lucky fire ants aren't in the Murray-Darling basin, but this is the kind of event that could see them spread into New South Wales if they were,' he said. McKenna, who lives close to turf and hay farmers whose products travel beyond Queensland, said she was 'worried if we don't reduce the fire ant infestation, it will undermine Australia's eradication efforts'. Rifas are native to South America and are believed to have arrived in Australia via infected materials on ships at the port of Brisbane in 2001 but may have been present in the country since 1992. They are dark reddish-brown with darker abdomens and pose widespread risk to native wildlife, industry and Australia's way of life. Rifas have now spread to more than 700,000 hectares (1.73m acres) in the Brisbane region and outlier detections have in the past year been found in Oakey, the Sunshine Coast and northern NSW. A detection in Wardell, about 70km south of the Queensland-NSW border, was blamed on landscaping supplies brought into NSW for reconstruction efforts after 2022 flood events. Pianta said that an urgent increase in Rifa suppression was needed. 'Fire ants are one of the world's worst super pests and their unchecked spread will result in economic damage greater than that caused by cane toads, rabbits, feral cats and foxes combined,' he said. 'We call on Peter Dutton and Anthony Albanese to commit to an urgent fire ant surge and long-term funding,' he said, adding that fire ants were not an election issue for Queenslanders. 'Fire ants will spread to all parts of Australia if eradication fails,' he said.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Aussie property owners called to action over 'world's worst' invasive threat
Authorities are calling on property owners impacted by a concerning invasive species spreading across Australia to do the right thing amid concerns that a program to stop the spread has been put in jeopardy by those refusing treatments. Residents who live in fire ant hotspots along specific areas in southeast Queensland can be visited up to six times in two years to get eradication treatment on their properties, but those carrying out the work have recently reported they have been threatened and "intimidated". The Invasive Species Council (ISC) believes there has been misinformation spreading about the treatment, sparking fear that it impacts public health and the health of their pets. However, the treatment — which involves a bait that renders the queens infertile — has been approved by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) and has the least impact on wildlife and the environment. Disinformation about the treatment has been branded "dangerous". "Fire ant treatments are scientifically proven to be non-toxic to humans, animals, including cats and dogs, and the environment when used as directed," ISC Advocacy Manager Reece Pianta said. "While we understand there are some well-meaning concerns, we want to assure everyone that fire ant treatments are safe, effective and do not harm animals... fire ants can sting and cause injury or even death to pets. Treatments and insecticides are used overseas to protect domestic animals from the impacts of fire ants." Pianta called out the threatening behaviour being reported, branding it as "disgraceful". "[It] must stop," he said. 🚨 Photo reveals 'devastating' threat fenced off as Australia on high alert 👶 Strangers find Aussie toddler wandering alone, covered in ants ‼️ What to do if you're stung by a fire ant Fire ants are deemed "one of the world's worst invasive species" and are a direct threat to human health as their stings can cause skin irritation and severe allergic reactions which can cause hospitalisation and even death. When a red ant nest is disturbed, the colony work together to attack the perceived predator, and hundreds of ants can inject venom into the skin. The stings are painful giving off a fire-like burning sensation before swelling and redness occur. Days later, sting sites develop blisters and pustules. Fire ants are highly mobile and can travel up to five kilometres, easily establishing new nests and spreading rapidly, meaning intervention is an absolute necessity if we want to prevent the country from being overrun with the pests. Fire ants have been a serious issue in the US, and reports of some homeowners taking matters into their own hands began to circulate. Residents were "pouring petrol on their lawns and regularly using chemicals-off label" which the ISC warned would be an "environmental disaster" if adopted in Australia. "If fire ants spread, we could see 650,000 additional medical visits annually as Australians are stung in parks, backyards, and public spaces," Pianta said. "If we are going to successfully eradicate fire ants, we can't just kill some nests, we must destroy every nest and do it systematically." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
