Fire ants,which have infested south-east Queensland since an incursion in 2001,weredetected near Ballina in northern NSW in the last fortnight,while six nestswere found at Murwillumbah in the same region in November,and a fire ant queen was discovered on a pallet in Melbourne last February.
The invasive pest is capable of forming colonies in 99 per cent of mainland Australia and 80 per cent of Tasmania.
The National Allergy Centre of Excellence,Australia’s peak allergy research body,estimates that fire ants sting one-third of people who live in areas where they have established colonies each year.
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It told a federal parliamentary inquiry into fire ants last month that if a nationwide infestation occurred,up to 650,000 people could seek medical attention for bites each year,including up to 175,000 people for allergic reactions such as hives,welts and swelling that in severe cases could be fatal.
Another expert group,the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy,told the inquiry that fire ants were three times more likely than bees to cause anaphylaxis – a life-threatening allergic reaction.
In 2021,there were 927 hospital visits due to bee stings and 12 deaths from anaphylaxis from bee and wasp stings.