By MARK SCHULMAN © Earth Times News Service
 RISBANE--First
it was cane toads in the Northern Territory and then flying foxes
in Melbourne. Now, it’s red fire ants that are the latest
invasive species to establish itself in Australia.
The Queensland
Department of Primary Industry has mounted an emergency response
following the discovery of several red fire ant colonies in Brisbane,
the tropical state’s capital.
The first
colony was detected in the Port of Brisbane last week, indicating
that the ants were probably brought in by cargo ship. Red fire
ants are native to Brazil, but have established themselves over
the years in several countries, including the United States.
“The
ants are widespread in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea,” said
a spokesman from the Australian Department of Agriculture. “It
was only a matter of time before Australia was invaded, with only
a few males and females needed to establish a colony,” he
added.
The ants can
form colonies of up to 500,000 and are ferocious plant and animal
eaters. They are poisonous and can be aggressive, often attacking
wild animals and destroying the eggs of fledglings of ground nesting
birds.
They also
pose a serious threat to agriculture, according to the Department
of Primary Industries. They have the potential to spread throughout
Australia and become a serious agricultural pest, one that already
costs the $1.5 billion a year, say Australian scientists monitoring
the situation.
Once established,
the ants are extremely difficult to get rid, and can be very costly.
A conference of federal and state pest control experts are meeting
this week to discuss the problem.
“The
consultative committee will be considering the pest from a national
point of view, said Ian Douglas, a Department of Primary Industry
spokesman. “It’s up to that group to decide whether
eradication is feasible.”
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