Stinging deaths, back yard poisons and billions spent: model predicts Australia’s fire ants future

Fire ants on a farm in south-east Queensland, where they are being contained by the national fire ant eradication program. Photograph: Jono Searle/AAP

Australian households will spend $1.03bn every year to suppress fire ants and cover related medical and veterinary costs, with about 570,800 people needing medical attention and 30 likely deaths from the invasive pest’s stings, new modelling shows.

The Australia Institute research breaks down the impact of red imported fire ants (Rifa) by electorate, with the seats of Durack and O’Connor in Western Australia, Mayo in South Australia and Blair in Queensland the hardest hit if the ants become endemic.