Sundew Professional Solutions, Media Release, 27 August 2024
A national pest eradication expert says the news that Queensland is more than doubling the Red Imported Fire Ant (RIFA) eradication zone highlights the need for residents to be equipped with site-specific self-treatment products to combat known outbreaks.
David Priddy, head of his own family-owned pest research company that produces Australian solutions formulated to Australian conditions bases his observations about treating the invasive pest on more than 20 years’ experience with international and national pest control technologies.
“We welcome the news that the pest-declared zone has been expanded from 336,000 hectares to 830,000 hectares, as a result of the recent Senate Inquiry, and note that farmers and residents who self-report this invasive and destructive pest will be sent free treatment packs. As in our submission to the recent Senate Inquiry on fire ants, we encourage any progress towards control and containment, before we go down the same path as the US, where the pest is estimated to cause $A9 billion annually in damage and infections to flora, fauna, and people.
“To aid these efforts, we need to give people – residents, business owners, and landowners – flexible options for self-treating this invasive pest. And these options need to work in Australian conditions.”
An Australian solution for Australian conditions
Sundew’s Australian-made SAS PRO individual nest treatment granules are formulated to remain durably active for longer under Australia’s climate and terrain extremes.
“Because fire ants have spread so rapidly and so pervasively across Australia, particularly in Queensland and Northern NSW, it’s understandable that governments and individuals have rushed to get their hands on anything that kills them. But a solution tested overseas might not stack up under Australia’s harsh climates, which can leave us fighting with ineffective tools,” says David.
“Sundew has invested the time in research and development to test its fire ant treatment products on Australian conditions, to make sure they stack up under the wide range of climates we experience here.”
“We don’t for a moment suggest we have the be-all and end-all total solution to the problem, but we do know our technologies respond to the Senate Fire Ant Inquiry’s call for more innovation in dealing with this pest. And we do have a substantial and immediately available cost-effective response, proven in service in local conditions, and readily available now.”
The time to act is now
The approaching spring season can be a particularly difficult time with the warming soil and milder days making fire ants more active. David is calling on government entities, regulators, and pest industry professionals to come together quickly and implement a suitable solution that works.
The alternative is a dire scenario. An assessment of their likely impact on 123 animals in Southeast Queensland predicted population declines in about 45 per cent of birds, 38 per cent of mammals, 69 per cent of reptiles and 95 per cent of frogs. This would push some species to the brink of extinction.
There have been several fire ant incursions since 2001, and all those outbreaks were eradicated. “That tells us eradication is possible,” says David. “We have the people and the know-how to make fire ant eradication a reality.”
Related stories: Senate inquiry search for solutions to fire ant threat unearths overlooked local answer right under our noses; Angry ants invade agriculture, horticulture and industry, devasting Australian crops and fauna if allowed to spread uncontrolled: Sundew Professional Solutions
