Gecko Talks- Fire Ants

Gecko Talks- Australia In the Firing Line from Fire Ants

Imagine: the sports ground is closed. The playground is not open to the public. Our BBQ has been canceled. We found fire ants (Solenopsis invicta). This will be the new Australian experience if fire ants continue to breach containment. 
These invader ants are damaging farmlands and closing parks, sports fields, and businesses. Fire ants will be a multi-billion dollar hit to Australia’s economy.  They will cause 140,000 medical appointments each year and fire ant attacks can be fatal to humans. Overseas, fire ants are causing agricultural land to become unviable. Impacts on the economy, agriculture, and social amenities from fire ants are well publicised. The idea of marauding hordes of ants spreading out from south-east Queensland has captured the attention and imagination of media and the public alike.  But what would fire ants mean for Australia’s natural environment?

Join us as Reece Pianta from the Invasive Species Council talks us through the threat of fire ants, followed by Chrissy Windle from the National Fire Ant Eradication Program who will share the government's suppression and eradication response plan and how the SEQ community can be involved in the treatment.