We get a version of this call a few times each summer now: "I think I've got fire ants." Nearly every time it turns out to be coastal brown ants, meat ants or a bull ant nest, all of which we treat under normal ant control. But the question is worth asking properly, because a real fire ant nest in the Illawarra is not a pest job. It is a biosecurity incident, and how you handle the first hour matters.
What we do, and what we don't
We come out, look at the nest and the ants, and give you a straight answer about what you've got. If it's a local species we treat it. If it looks like a fire ant, or we can't rule it out, we stop there and help you report it to NSW DPI. We don't attempt to treat a suspected fire ant nest, and we won't take soil samples away in the ute, because moving the material is exactly how the pest spreads.
Eradication in NSW is run by the government fire ant program. Once a report is lodged, they confirm the identification and take over treatment and any movement restrictions on the property. Our part ends at the report.
Telling a fire ant from a local ant
The three things we look at, in order:
- A mix of sizes. Fire ant workers in one nest range from about 2 mm to 6 mm. Most of our common ants are one size.
- The colour. Dark reddish brown body with a darker, almost black abdomen. Coastal browns are a plainer, lighter brown; meat ants are bigger with a purple-red head and dark body.
- The nest. A dome of loose, crumbly, fluffy-looking soil, sometimes up to 40 cm high, with no visible entrance hole. It will be in open sunny ground, lawn edges, near paths and paving, and if you bump it the ants boil out and climb whatever touched it.
There's a longer walk-through with photos of the look-alikes in fire ants in NSW: how to identify them and what to do. A sting is a strong hint, though we'd rather you didn't test it that way, and it doesn't confirm the species on its own. Fire ant stings burn, come in clusters, and turn into small white pustules over the following day or two. Confirmation is the government program's job.
Your reporting obligation
Fire ants are notifiable in NSW. If you suspect them, you are required to report it, and the report is free: NSW Biosecurity Helpline 1800 680 244. Photos help. Don't disturb the nest, don't move soil, mulch or pot plants off the property until it has been checked, and keep kids and pets away from the mound.
If you'd like a second set of eyes before you ring, call us. We'll come out, look, and if it needs reporting we'll do it with you on the spot.
Common questions
- Do you treat fire ants?
- No, and neither should anyone else outside the government program. Fire ants are notifiable in NSW and the response is run by the NSW Department of Primary Industries. If we confirm or suspect fire ants at your place, the next step is a report on 1800 680 244, not a spray. We'll make the call with you and hand over photos and location details.
- How do I know if the ants in my yard are fire ants?
- Size and colour are the giveaways. Fire ants are small, 2 to 6 mm, in a mix of sizes in the same nest, dark reddish brown with a darker abdomen. The nest is a dome of loose, crumbly soil with no obvious entrance hole, and the ants pour out and swarm if the mound is bumped. Our common local ants are one size each and nest in a single hole or under pavers.
- What should I do if I think I have found a nest?
- Leave it alone. Don't dig it, tip anything on it or try to treat it, because a disturbed colony can split and move. Take a couple of photos from a safe distance, note where it is, and call the NSW Biosecurity Helpline on 1800 680 244. If you'd rather we look first, we'll come and check and make the report with you.
- Have fire ants reached the Illawarra?
- We are not aware of an established Illawarra population, and we won't tell you otherwise to get a booking. The risk to this area is movement of infested material, mainly soil, mulch, turf, hay and potted plants from south-east Queensland, so a new nest near a recent delivery is the thing to be alert to.