Opinion
27 March, 2024
Don’t get ants in your plants
'Gazza's Gossip' "There’s a number of experiences that I specifically remember when moving to Far North Queensland and one of those was coming face to face for the very first time with a green ant."
Well, in fact, there were quite a number of them as I attempted some gardening in this part of the world.
Apart from the nasty nip they tend to give you and their tenacity to cling on, they really seemed quite friendly and as someone suggested can be quite tasty at the tail end. Being a veggie for many years, I gave that a miss.
In our region there are, of course, many much smaller ants, the ones that seem to like to frequent your wash basin and then those very scary, much larger black ones. Some even like to eat parts of your home if they get the chance.
One of the very worst varieties is the electric ant and I’ve no doubt many would have seen publicity around FNQ warning of the dangers of these little pests.
The National Electric Ant Eradication Program has now established a permanent base in Mossman as part of its commitment and drive to eradicate electric ants from the Douglas shire.
After commencing operations from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries office at the Mossman Gorge Visitor Centre in January, this move will allow teams to respond rapidly to reports of suspect ants and public callouts, and be more productive in surveillance and operational work.
Principal project officer Robert Ibell said that “having a permanent team based in Mossman will mean we can be on the scene of ant detections more quickly and effectively than ever before.”
“The program conducts proactive and programmed surveillance work across the whole of the Douglas shire and have been successfully detecting new infestations, treating and eradicating known infestations across the region since the first detection in the shire in 2012,” Mr Ibell said.
“There are approximately 52 sentinel sites in these areas that are surveyed on a regular basis.
“These sites include registered waste transfer stations, nurseries, outdoor material suppliers and known illegal dumping sites.
“The local team can undertake this surveillance work in a timely manner, free from the effects of road closures and other unforeseen circumstances.”
A number of different leaflets, fridge magnets, plus stickers for the ‘Junior Ranger Squad’ have been made available to encourage locals to get involved and be aware of the potential hazards of electric ants. If you believe you have seen any of the little critters around, you are encouraged to ring 13 25 23.
I’m off to check for any anty bodies, so for now it’s Gazza signing out. Send your stories to
gazza@cairnslocalnews.com.au
