THE highly invasive Yellow Crazy Ant is being tackled by council and other agencies but the community is still being asked to be alert.
Yellow Crazy Ants can disrupt entire ecosystems with their voracious appetites, leaving the area desolate of any other life.
More than 30 field staff completed a three-day detailed Yellow Crazy Ant survey, from September 2 to 5, at infestation areas within Conway National Park.
The field staff came from Wet Tropics Management Authority, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Biosecurity Queensland, Marine Parks and Whitsunday Regional Council.
In 2019, the Shute Harbour infestation treatment area covered approximately 60ha.
Over recent years, council has noticed that the infestation and the number of Yellow Crazy Ants have declined, due to the baiting program.
The aim of detailed survey is to accurately map the infestation areas in Shute Harbour, so a revised and cost-effective baiting program can be implemented.
Whitsunday Regional Council Natural Resources Manager Scott Hardy said the highly invasive pest had the potential to have significant impacts.
“Multi-agency activities such as this don’t happen often, but it’s representative of how important it is to manage this highly invasive pest that has the potential to have significant impacts on biodiversity, tourism, agriculture and our lifestyle, if left unchecked,” Mr Hardy said.
“In large numbers, they can disrupt entire ecosystems with their voracious appetites and ability to create ‘super colonies’ across large areas, leaving heavily infested areas without animals, insects or native ants.”
The Whitsunday Yellow Crazy Ant Treatment program has cost more than $375,000, since 2019, with baiting completed at Shute Harbour, Mandalay, Funnel Bay and Woodwark.
Mr Hardy said initial results from the survey indicated that the baiting program was very successful with only a few ants found in a small area of Shute Harbour.
“However, given small nests can quickly expand into super colonies, it’s important we stay vigilant and do our best to eradicate,” he said.
Eradication cannot be confirmed until up to five years of detailed surveys confirm no Yellow Crazy Ants in the area, which is a testament to how a few ants evading detection can quickly multiply.
Mayor Collins said council believed that Yellow Crazy Ants entered the region via construction material, such as roof trusses, from infected areas in Townsville.
“Whilst we are experiencing success managing existing outbreaks, we want the construction industry and community to remain vigilant around new builds and existing infected areas, to identify Yellow Crazy Ants and contact council immediately if suspected.
“We thank the many staff from all agencies that have helped us on the journey to date and hope to continue to receive funding support to manage this pest into the future, protecting our lifestyle, biodiversity and industries.”
More information on Yellow Crazy Ants can be found on Whitsunday Regional Council’s website. Baiting is not considered hazardous to people and animals.
