Invaded By Ants

Have you ever seen an ant before? Ants are considered pests because they can damage structures, crops and trees by their actions. Many of the invasive ants have been accidentally brought to America as stowaways on ships and as hitch hikers in someone’s luggage. There are many different types of ants, but what if I told you there is a specific group of ants that are household pests that can be extremely dangerous to people, animals, and property? Such as resulting in pain, swelling, or even death if left unchecked.

Invaded By Ants

Exotic invasive ants​

Exotic to Australia, under eradication or management

Features: This group of invasive ant species, including the red imported fire ant, are aggressive, spread quickly and would disrupt our environment and usual way of life
Where they’re from: Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, Central America, Caribbean, South America, Oceania
How they spread: Importation of goods, packaging or conveyances infested with ants
At risk: The environment, our way of life, agriculture, infrastructure and human health

Red imported fire ant is one of the invasive tramp ant species we need to keep out of Australia.

Keep it out

These invasive ant species are highly invasive. Once introduced, they spread rapidly threatening the environment, agriculture and way of life.

Invasive ants can disrupt local wildlife, sting humans and animals and prevent people from enjoying the outdoors.  They can eat plants and even damage machinery and buildings including electrical insulation.

Many species originate from South America, including red imported fire ant, the Argentine ant and the electric ant, but browsing ant is native to southern Europe. Yellow crazy ant is thought to originate from Africa but can now be found throughout the Pacific.

Stop the spread

Some species have already invaded parts of Australia and measures are in place to prevent them spreading any further or to eradicate them.

Importing goods

To keep invasive ants out of Australia, never ignore Australia’s strict biosecurity rules.

Import shipments may need to be treated and certified, so before you import, check our Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON).

What to look for

Keep an eye out for unfamiliar ant species, particularly around anything newly imported, or if you live near ports.

 

 

 

Where to look

Importers

If you work around imported goods you need to look for invasive ants on:

• crates
• machinery
• plant material
• shipping containers
• conveyances.

Home gardeners and people living near ports

Ants can be moved in:

• containers
• soil
• plants
• timber
• machinery
• goods carried by passengers.

Moving items out of your backyard, including pot plants can be an easy way for invasive ants to move to new locations. If you live in an area known to have invasive ants, take care not to spread them with items such as these. Consider leaving the items behind.

What to do

If you think you’ve found invasive ants:

• take a photo
• do not disturb the ants (this may be as simple as closing the doors on a shipping container or bagging a pot plant)
• collect a sample, if safe to do so.

Invaded By Ants

Invasive ants are a reality that must be dealt with. They are the most common and widespread ant species in the world, and they can be found on every continent except Antarctica. They may look like any other ant, but invasive ants are not native to your area—they have established themselves in environments far outside of their natural range.

Because of their aggressive behavior and ability to adapt to new conditions, invasive ants have been able to thrive in many different environments where they were introduced as stowaways on ships or as accidental pests. Once an invasive ant colony has been established, it can spread quickly and make life difficult for humans and animals alike.

Invasive ants eat whatever they can find—they will even eat other insects if that’s all there is available. They also eat plants and animals if given the chance! In addition to being dangerous because of their voracious appetite for food sources that might otherwise not be eaten by other animals (such as crops), invasive ants pose a serious threat to human health because of their ability to spread diseases such as malaria through bites or contact with infected blood.

List Of Invaded By Ants