Thousands of Fire Ant Nests Infest Qld Properties

Parts of Queensland have as many fire ants as Texas—a hotbed of the uncontrolled infestation that costs the U.S. billions of dollars each year. Dr Robert Puckett is an American expert on invasive ant species and he’s followed Australia’s efforts to eradicate fire ants since they were discovered in Brisbane 23 years ago. He’s just toured infested parts of southeast Queensland and has echoed stories from locals about a shocking build up of the super-pest inside the narrow, U-shaped band where eradication efforts are focused. “Some of the densities are approaching what we see in Texas on pasture land,” says the entomologist, from Texas A&M University....