Queensland residents will be asked to self-treat their properties for highly invasive fire ants as part of a ramp-up in eradication efforts, with farmers questioning the costs associated with the “ambitious” strategy.
From this week, the National Fire Ant Eradication Program will more than double its eradication area in south-east Queensland, with every property in the 830,000 hectare (20.5m acre) target zone to be treated up to six times over two years, followed by a five-year surveillance period.
