Fire ant detections in New South Wales

Fire ants have been detected in New South Wales. We need to take action to stop them spreading.

To do this, we're going to treat all targeted properties in:

  • Murwillumbah
  • Wardell.

The treatment method will depend on the size of your property and the landscape. Our teams may use a combination of aerial and ground treatment — using hand spreaders and utility terrain vehicles.

Fire ant treatment is not a poison. It is tried, tested and approved by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) and is safe for humans, animals and the environment.

The treatment is made up of small pieces of:

  • corn grit
  • soaked in soybean oil
  • low concentration of insect growth regulator.

The granules are collected by foraging fire ants. The treatment prevents the queen from reproducing workers — if the queen cannot reproduce workers, the colony will starve and naturally die out.

Allow access to your property

For our experienced staff to complete treatment on your property we require your permission.

Complete our online form to:

  • give consent for us to enter and treat your property for fire ants
  • notify us of access issues — dogs, locked gates or other property access issues.

Before we treat your property, we’ll either phone or knock on your door to see if you're home.

If we missed you, we'll leave a message card in your letterbox with instructions on what you need to do.

Our staff are authorised under the Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW) to treat all properties for the purpose of eradicating fire ants. They carry government-issued identification cards and will not need to enter your house or buildings.

Follow movement restrictions for organic materials

A Biosecurity (fire ant) Emergency Order is currently in place to restrict the movement of organic materials such as:

  • soil
  • baled hay
  • straw
  • mulch
  • manure
  • quarry products
  • turf
  • potted plants.

The fire ant movement control area is a 5km radius around each detection site.

You can move organic materials into and within the 5km control area.

You can only move organic materials outside the 5km control area if you follow the requirements of the order.

Report suspected fire ants

To report fire ants at a location in NSW, you should:

We encourage you to keep your eyes on the ground and check backyards, local parks, nature strips and paddocks for signs of fire ants.