Self-management for primary producers

Primary producers in the suppression area play a critical role in managing fire ants, especially farms on river flood plains engaged in  intensive land use like animal husbandry, horticulture, and agriculture.

We can help you self-manage fire ants on your land with free treatment products and support until June 2026.

Report fire ants

Report any suspect fire ants or nests on your property:

You must report fire ants within 24 hours of seeing them.

Once we confirm they’re fire ants, we’ll mail you a fast-acting treatment kit to self-treat them.

Some properties may qualify for extra support, such as a site assessment. We’ll let you know if you’re eligible when you report fire ants.

Develop a fire ant self-management plan

A fire ant self-management plan helps you prevent and treat fire ants effectively. The plan helps you:

Watch the video below for tips on how to develop your self-management plan.

If you’re eligible for extra support, we’ll work with you to develop your plan.

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Eradicating fire ants is a national priority. We must work together to stop fire ants in their tracks.

Primary producers play a critical role by managing fire ants on properties in the suppression treatment area. Treating fire ants yourself helps keep people, pets and animals safe while also protecting your livelihood.

When self managing fire ants on your property, it's important to look, report, prevent and treat.

Actively look for fire ants by routinely checking your property in areas where they're more likely to be.

Report any suspect fire ants or nests online at fireants.org dot AU or by calling 132 Ant.

That's 132268 and prevent by using fire and safe practises when dealing with materials from within the fire Ant bio security zones.

If you're moving in a material that can carry fire ants, you must take all reasonable steps to ensure they do not spread to new areas and treat your property.

Fire Ant self management may include multiple rounds of broad scale treatments over large treatment areas for the fire ants that you can't see and fast acting nest treatments for the nest that you can see, or a combination of both.

Prioritise treating fire Ant nests that pose risks to human or animal health.

Treat these nests with a fast acting insecticide.

Treat as many nests you can see as possible.

For broad scale treatment, evenly spread an insect growth regulator or IGR over open areas to target the nest that you can't see.

There's a general guide.

About a kilo of fast acting product treats about 60 nests, while IGR should be spread at a rate of about two kilogrammes per hectare.

Always read and follow the instructions on the label.

You must keep a record of your treatments, including the products used, the areas treated and how you treat it.

You can submit a treatment report to us by scanning the QR code on the instruction brochure and consider how best you can integrate surveillance, reporting, prevention and treatment of fire ants into your regular farm management and pest control activities.

And together we can eradicate fire ants from Australia.

Checklist

Use our checklist to guide your surveillance, treatment, and reporting activities. You can also integrate these activities into your pest control and property maintenance routines.

Look

I conduct regular inspections for fire ants, especially in high-risk areas of my property or business.

Report

I have reported suspect fire ants or nests to the National Fire Ant Eradication Program online or by calling 132 ANT (13 22 68).

Prevent

When moving materials that may carry fire ants, such as soil, baled materials, mulch, manure, green waste, mining and quarry materials, potted plants, and turf, I:

  • identify the fire ant biosecurity zone my property or business is in, check the fire ant compliance tool to see if moving materials is permitted, and if I need a biosecurity permit
  • implement appropriate storage, treatment, and transport measures to minimise the risk of moving fire ants off my property or business
  • verify with suppliers that the necessary mitigation measures have been applied to materials being moved onto my property or business
  • inspect all incoming material for fire ants.

Treat

I treat visible nests as soon as possible and apply broadscale treatment for hidden nests twice a year during the warmer months. I prioritise treating high-risk areas on my property or business.

I record my treatment activity with the National Fire Ant Eradication Program.

Learn more about fire ant self-management