It takes a village to fight fire ants

A Chambers Flat resident is tackling the spread of fire ants with expertise, free resources, and a passion for protecting the environment.

Jane Walker witnessed the impact of fire ants firsthand earlier this year when she discovered 50 nests on her 10-acre property.

‘I knew there were fire ants around but hadn’t really taken the issue to heart because it didn’t affect me,’ she says.

‘Once we started finding a lot of nests on our property, I realised how serious the issue was and how difficult it is to eradicate them.’

After exploring the free resources available online – specifically, through the National Fire Ant Eradication Program – Jane realised she couldn’t fight the pests on her own.

Like many other locals, Jane was unaware that it takes a collective effort to eradicate fire ants.

‘There’s not much use killing the nests on my own property because fire ants will just keep flying in over the fence,’ she says.

‘I started encouraging my neighbours to treat their properties too – we all need to work together on this.

‘I care about our wonderful country, and this pest will negatively impact our wildlife and environment, as well as hurt our people.’

Beyond her own property, Jane also treats footpaths, roadsides, and vacant lands around her community, and she conducts multiple check-ups to ensure the colonies are gone.

According to Jane, fire ant population control is everyone’s responsibility – it can’t be solved by government efforts alone.

‘The national program won’t win the fight without us, no matter how much money they throw at it,’ she says.

As part of her efforts to rally the community, Jane has hand-delivered informative flyers around the area and spread awareness via social media.

Jane’s Facebook page, Fight the Fire Ants, shares the latest information from the national program alongside her own findings.

She hopes the community will become more proactively involved in the fight before it’s too late.

‘More people are getting involved and now know what to do if they find a nest because of my work,’ she says.

‘But there are still many who refuse to treat the nests because they’re worried about the chemicals harming the environment or their animals.

‘They don’t realise how badly fire ants will do that – when they see a horse badly stung after rolling in a nest or experience an extinction of native species in an area, they will understand.’

At the moment, Jane is experimenting with various treatments to destroy fire ant nests in an effort to identify the most effective, affordable, and natural options.

She plans to share her findings on her Facebook page in the future.

Learn more about fire ants and how to protect the environment on Jane’s Fight the Fire Ants page.

Residents in Logan can also order a free fire ant self-treatment kit.  Each household will receive 2 fire ant treatment kits over 6 months – one a few weeks after ordering and the second in early 2025. If you joined last year’s initiative, you’re already set and will automatically receive your free kits until 30 June 2026.  

Each kit includes treatment product and an instructional brochure on how to use it. This initiative empowers you to protect your property and reduce fire ant infestations before eradication treatment reaches your area. Fire ants are aggressive pests that can severely impact our health, environment, economy, and outdoor way of life. Help stop fire ants in their tracks – order your kit today online or call 132 ANT (13 22 68).