Fire ant treatment is safe

The National Fire Ant Eradication Program reassures the community that fire ant treatment is safe.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) assesses and has registered the products used to treat fire ants, ensuring they are safe and effective for animals, people, and the environment, for over 20 years.

The active ingredients in fire ant treatment are commonly used in veterinary and agricultural applications, such as flea and parasite control, and livestock feed additives.

Treatment consists of small pieces of corn grit soaked in soybean oil with a low concentration of an Insect Growth Regulator (IGR), either Pyriproxyfen or S-methoprene.

IGR treatments are not a risk to mammals when used according to APVMA instructions, and the active ingredients pose a negligible risk of long-term persistence in the environment when used according to permitted usage patterns.

The Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard) Instrument does not classify Pyriproxyfen and S-methoprene used in fire ant treatment as ‘poisons’ because of their low toxicity.

At the extremely low application rates the program uses, animals and people are not at risk of adverse effects from the eradication treatment.

Fire ants pose a greater risk to the health of native animals and pets, particularly those that spend time outdoors or like to dig. They can also cause anaphylactic reactions in people.

Fire ants can be present even if they or their nests are not visible on the surface of the ground.

Visit fireants.org.au or call 132 ANT (13 22 68) to learn more about fire ants and eradication treatment.

Quotes attributable to Dr Erin Wallace, Senior Scientist, National Fire Ant Eradication Program:

“The active ingredients are the same as those used in household and agricultural pest control, but at much lower concentrations and incredibly low application rates,” she said.

“With 5 grams of insecticide per kilogram, the active ingredient accounts for only 0.5% of the total product.

“The rate of application makes it nearly impossible for an animal or human to find and consume sufficient granules to make themselves sick.

“Pet owners use these ingredients frequently for everyday tick and parasite prevention on their animals, often at a higher dosage.

“Insect-growth regulators (IGRs) are designed to break the life cycle of insect pests by preventing the production of viable young. They have no known impact on the bodies of mammals when used as directed.

“In flea products, these active ingredients prevent adult fleas from laying fertile eggs and prevent larval fleas from developing into adults.

“They work similarly in a fire ant colony, preventing the queen from producing viable offspring. They have no lethal impacts on adult worker ants, and eradication is achieved by preventing worker replacement, which eventually results in the starvation of the queen.

“Adult worker ants have a lifespan of up to 6 months, so the treatment process requires repeat applications of IGR at specifically timed intervals to ensure the queen remains unable to replace her workforce.

“There is no plausible evidence that fire ant treatment is dangerous to pets, animals, people or the environment when used according to Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority’s permits.

“Fire ants can kill animals and humans, and eradication treatment is our only option to protect Australia from the devastating and irreversible impacts fire ants will have on our unique native animals and ecosystems.”

Quotes attributable to Ashley Bacon, Executive Program Director, National Fire Ant Eradication Program:

“Our mission is to protect our ecosystems, industries, economy and way of life, and be fire ant-free by 2032,” he said.

“The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority approves fire ant treatment, and it is delivered using methods dependent on property requirements.

“For a 500 m² residential block, just 100 grams of product is applied, containing only half a gram of the active ingredient.

“Our eradication officers and pilots use a combination of handheld spreaders, utility terrain vehicles, and aircraft, including drones, fixed-wing, and helicopters, to apply treatment.

“We assess treatment applications and monitor our operations in line with all permit and product usage requirements.

“Fire ants are found in many parts of South East Queensland, so it’s important that we treat all targeted properties in a systematic way. This is the only way to eradicate the super pest.

“I encourage people to complete the property information form to let us know of access considerations such as dogs, locked gates, animals, livestock, crops, and waterways. We would like to work with you to tailor the treatment of your property, where possible, to eradicate fire ants efficiently and effectively.

“We urge all Australians to support eradication efforts. It is crucial to safeguard Australia.”