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The Queensland government is using drones and helicopters to battle fire ants in the state’s southeast.
As part of a $24 million scheme to contain the pests, the government says its aerial control program will disperse two rounds of treatment across 106,000 hectares by mid-2026, with eradication treatments also to be delivered year-round rather than seasonally.
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“The aerial assault aims to drive down fire ant numbers inside containment lines to reduce the risk of ants from the suppression zone being moved to other parts of the State,” said Queensland Minister for Primary Industries Tony Perrett.
“We’ve supercharged our chances of rapidly reducing fire ant densities by up to 70 per cent and speeding eradication efforts.
“The eradication effort has been mighty, but the Crisafulli Government is doing more to try to not only hold the line, but reduce the entire footprint, and we are calling on the Federal Government to join our suppression efforts.”
Invasive Species Council advocacy manager Reece Pianta said the benefits of the program should be seen over the next 12 months, and that nests in central Queensland have already been eradicated.
“Drones and helicopters are being used to treat the large property owner locations … and that is a way to very efficiently and effectively and reliably destroy large numbers of fire ant nests by effectively treating those nests with a product that prevents the formation of mature worker ants,” he said.
“So, those fire ant nests will die out over a matter of a few weeks to a few months, and it is a very effective and reliable way, because it destroys the nests that you can see, and it also deals with the nests that haven’t yet been detected.”
According to Minister Perrett, drones are an invaluable part of the treatment program.
“Being able to have aerial application, and particularly with drone assistance, we can treat areas like this very successfully. So, it’s critical that we use every available method to be able to treat them,” he said.
“Sometimes it may be from helicopters and the like, but drones in agriculture are now becoming very common in respect of application of certain chemicals and certain treatment methods.”
The Queensland government says the treatment is “proven safe for people, pets and the environment” when used as directed by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority.
