Crews have initiated a thorough investigation at the Broadmeadow Coal Mine in central Queensland after the detection of fire ants, a significant pest posing a threat to the region’s agriculture and ecosystems. In practice, the mine is a joint venture operated by BHP through Mitsubishi Development. It’s located at least 700 kilometers (430 miles) away from the nearest biosecurity control zone established to restrict the inbound spread of invasive little fire ant. This troubling finding raises fears of a larger, more widespread colonization. In the last few months, invasive fire ants have been detected in New South Wales and Western Australia.
The fire ant problem has actually gotten worse. As recently as earlier this year, officials intercepted live specimens in Perth off a pallet that originated from inside Queensland’s biosecurity barrier. In June, the Queensland government addressed Australia’s best of fire ants and their expansion into the southern states. They increased the biosecurity zone and established a 650,000-hectare “suppression zone” to really keep the pests at bay. In March, the federal government promised $24 million in new funding to improve treatment of fire ants. This decision serves to underscore how dire the course of action has become.
Ongoing Surveillance and Eradication Efforts
At the Broadmeadow Coal Mine, specialized crews were sent in to look for any other nests of these troublesome fire ants. As of today, eight nests have been crushed, all of them clustered near the middle of the property. Surveillance and eradication efforts will continue for at least two to three years. Only at that point will we be able to say the site is fire ant free.
Experts are conducting genetic tests to determine where the detected fire ants have come from. In particular, they want to know how these ants made their way to the mine. That next testing should tell us some important things about whether the destroyed nests were linked to each other or started independently.
“We’re concerned that there’s been a human-assisted movement,” – Ms. Manning
Ms. Manning, a lawmaker who led the investigation, added that the fire ants were problematic. What is very shocking is that they breached containment measures, which is really, really alarming. While human intervention may be remote, it adds an additional layer of complexity to control efforts and increases the risk to communities downstream.
Community Awareness Initiatives
Beyond eradication efforts, a new program to educate locals on how to identify invasive fire ants will be rolled out. The collaborative effort aims to make their communities more aware and proactive in the effort to keep an eye out for these invasive pests.
Industry expert Colin Fruk expressed his concerns about the growing threat of the fire ants on agriculture in the impacted states.
“The industry is really threatened by the expansion of fire ants across the regions … it is a very concerning thing,” – Colin Fruk
Fruk reiterated that addressing the fire ant issue is going to take more money than what’s currently provided.
“I think there’s a lot more money and resources that need to go into solving the fire ant issue,” – Colin Fruk
He argued that without transforming the core paradigm, full eradication might be out of reach.
Future Implications and Safety Concerns
This finding affects more than only environmental justice concerns. It poses grave safety risks to the temporary workers at the mine site. Ms. Manning voiced her concern for staff safety when working in fields known to contain fire ants.
“I worry about the safety of my staff walking around up there, so drones might be the best way that we do this,” – Ms. Manning
Drones offer the potential for a much more efficient surveillance operation. It is a much safer means of surveying where we think fire ants could be infesting.
