A tough new product has been launched in the fight against the potentially nationwide spread of the invasive Red Imported Fire Ants (RIFA), while one expert warns that care should be taken to minimise the risk to other species and the environment from all fire ant treatments.
Autonomy’s RoadBlock Spider and Ant Automotive Treatment has been approved for automotive use by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, (APVMA).1 Roadblock is designed for use on vehicles, machinery and loads that may unwittingly carry the aggressive insects from one infestation to put new locations at risk.
Roadblock is a treatment that can be used by private individuals to help ensire they are not spreading these invasive pests. It complements fire ant treatments such as Sundew Professional Solutions ANTagonistPRO typically used for broad application by pest control professionals.
Australian Rural & Regional News found out more about their treatments and current environmental concerns about fire ant treatments from Amanda Lintott, owner of RoadBlock Spider and Ant Automotive Treatment and David Priddy, CEO of Sundew Professional Solutions.
According to Autonomy, RoadBlock is effective upon hitch-hiking pests within minutes of contact, and the all-Australian formulation also protects drivers and passengers against painful and distracting infestations and bites from the aggressive pests that can hurt adults, children and pet travellers.
“Private and commercial drivers often won’t even know they have unwelcome guests aboard,” says Amanda.
“It can be a nasty surprise.”
RoadBlock is a commercial grade aerosol product specifically designed to treat and prevent ants in vehicles including cars, trucks, recreational vehicles, campers, 4WDs, fleets and heavy vehicles and agricultural machinery that can spread the pest.
“RoadBlock is the only ready-to-use pest control product in Australia specifically approved for vehicles, and the latest approval will allow us to join the fight against the dangerous spread of fire ants. We can now assist drivers, travellers, and fleet owners who live or work in high risk areas to reduce the chances of further spreading beyond Queensland and Northern NSW,” says Amanda. Such instances of spreading pests have been headline news over the last 12 months in particular.
Says Amanda, “RoadBlock is proven to kill RIFA within minutes of contact. It then gives lasting barrier protection to ensure these ultimate unwanted hitchhikers don’t form new colonies as they are spread interstate from thousands of existing infestation sites.”
“With this new approval, RoadBlock users gain the extra comfort of knowing that a simple spray of their vehicle will not only be effective over a broad spectrum of pests but will specifically also kill and repel invasive fire ants in line with the requirements of the Biosecurity Act.”
Under the Biosecurity Act 2014 (Qld), everyone – including individuals and organisations – has a general biosecurity obligation (GBO) to take all reasonable steps to prevent the spread of fire ants.
Queenslanders are legally required to report suspected sightings of fire ants within 24 hours of their discovery, and, depending on the nest’s location, take action to treat the pest. Once reported, property or business owners may also be required to cease operations for a decontamination period.
The National Fire Ant Eradication Program 10-year elimination plan involves an intensive and targeted eradication effort over South East Queensland, spanning from the Lockyer Valley in the west to Redlands in the east, Moreton Bay to the north and the Gold Coast to the south.
The tiny (6mm long) but enormously destructive RIFA pest is capable of forming colonies in 99 per cent of mainland Australia and 80 per cent of Tasmania if left unchecked, or carried unwittingly, to new areas by vehicles and machinery that passes through contaminated areas. To date, multiple colonies have been found in Queensland and Northern NSW, but RIFA are quickly heading further south towards Victoria.
“Left unchecked to travel our highways and byways, these little nasties can cause huge and painful damage to people, children, pets, stock, native fauna and fauna and, ultimately, the Australian economy. The Australia Institute research body estimates that RIFA will cost Australians more than $22bn by the 2040s if unchecked,” says Amanda. By comparison, the estimated cost of containing, then eradicating, the problem now is $3bn, which just serves to highlight the need to take prompt action.2
The National Fire Ant Eradication Programme notes that – in addition to travelling within and upon vehicles – fire ants can also spread when people move:
- Materials such as soil, hay, mulch, manure, quarry products, turf and potted plants.
- Containers that have been used with organic materials, such potted plants and fertiliser.
- Dirty machinery that has been used to move restricted material (or material in which RIFA have established themselves undetected, including grass crops and other ground-covering crops).
All of which can be sprayed to help neutralise the latent threat.
Amanda points out differences between RoadBlock and other treatments.
“The specialised Australian formulation of RoadBlock Spider and Ant Automotive Treatment is stronger for longer than standard sprays. It is suitable for use on a wide range of vehicles, from cars, utes, and vans, right up to heavy machinery, trucks, and commercial vehicles that may come into contact with contaminated soils or are being used and stored outdoors in Australia’s harsh environments,” says Amanda, adding that RoadBlock has been rigorously formulated and tested for use under Australian conditions.
RoadBlock differentiates itself from standard insect sprays as it has been tested and is safe to use on all typical automotive surfaces. It also features a commercial grade formulation, a 360 degree, straw nozzle and is also Australian owned and Australian made.
The long nozzle applicator ensures the spray is directed precisely to problem areas – including mirrors, wheel arches and grilles, weather covers, water storages, battery bays, and any warm restful hollow spaces that appeal to insects.
“Another major benefit of this type of application, is that you don’t have to fumigate the entire vehicle – you can just use small amounts in the key areas, to protect against new infestations.”
In response to concerns that fire ant treatments can harm other species and the broader environment, Amanda pointed out to Australian Rural & Regional News that RoadBlock is designed specifically for vehicles and is not for application onto or into soil, so it does not act directly on the natural environment. Amanda says it only kills ants (fire ants or otherwise) if they are on or inside your vehicle. Further, the straw nozzle ensures precise targeting, allowing users to apply it exactly where needed—into cracks, crevices, and hard-to-reach spaces in vehicles. This improves effectiveness but also reduces overspray, minimises waste, and lowers the risk of affecting non-target species.
Amanda stresssed that RoadBlock has been tested and is safe and effective on all typical automotive surfaces. It is Australian owned, Australian made and APVMA approved. This approval process involved extensive ground testing on fire ants on typical automotive surfaces. The testing was conducted in Brisbane.
RoadBlock is available online at www.autonomyco.com.au, on Amazon, and at select retailers.
Australian Rural & Regional News also asked David Priddy, CEO of Sundew Professional Solutions, about concerns from the public that fire ant treatments damage the environment. In particular, Sumitomo’s Distance Plus treatment has been criticised recently.
David responded that, “Firstly, all Red Imported Fire Ant (RIFA) treatments will kill other species, both ants and other animals, even if that is not their intended use, so it is important to be as targeted as possible to minimise the risks to other species, particularly natives.
“This is a major reason that Sundew’s approach is focused on individual and direct nest fire ant treatment – hitting them at the source, without causing unnecessary additional environmental damage. We then only recommend our large area treatment for heavily infested areas, or areas where there aren’t any other species to kill – usually because RIFA have killed them already!
“How the treatment is applied also makes a difference to the environmental impact it will have. Sumitomo’s Distance Plus is an ant bait that uses a matrix of corn grit infused with plant based oil to attract ants. The active ingredient, Pyriproxyfen, belongs to a group of chemicals known as insect growth regulator (IGR) and works by causing the reproductive queens to become sterile, so they can’t reproduce and expand their colonies, as well as stopping the ant larva from pupating within the nest. Pyriproxyfen doesn’t directly kill ants, they just eventually die of old age. This leads to one of the issues occurring presently in that bait is being supplied to homeowners who keep continually applying product into the environment expecting to see nest dying, but they’re not. It could take several months for a colony of RIFA to ‘naturally’ die as a result of IGR baits, and in the meantime multiple applications of product may inadvertently be being applied unnecessarily.
“Corn grit style ant baits are attractive to all sorts of ants and non-target insects, as well as birds and other creatures, so is likely to harm unintended species.
“RIFA treatments can also affect the soil quality of areas that are treated, and if it makes its way to waterways, they can have an impact on aquatic life too. Again, risk mitigation and minimisation are important here, and being as targeted as possible with RIFA treatment is the best way to minimise the effects.
“It’s always a trade-off. RIFA are going to outcompete other animals, including native species, if left untreated. In some areas, we’ve opted to use a large area treatment because RIFA are the only species left alive in that location.
“We’ve also had some large area treatment tests where we’ve seen native species return once the RIFA have been eliminated, which is exactly what we’d like to see.”
References
1. The APVMA is the Government statutory agency responsible for the management and regulation of all agricultural and veterinary chemical products in Australia. Before an agricultural or veterinary chemical product can be legally supplied, sold, or used in Australia it must be registered by the APVMA.
2. The Australia Institute identifies areas where thousands of people will need medical attention and suffer anaphylactic reactions each year as including the electorates of Coomera, Bundamba, Jordan, Logan, Hill, Woodridge, Gympie, Nanango, Murrumba, and Maryborough. The National Allergy Centre of Excellence and Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia predicts that if fire ants were to become endemic, a quarter of the 8.6 million Australians who would be stung by fire ants each year would develop an allergic reaction, with 174,000 of those requiring medical attention. Up to 652,000 people a year would seek medical consultation because of RIFA stings, they said. The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy said, “anaphylaxis is almost three times more common with RIFA stings than with other stinging insects.”
(Source: A joint submission to the Federal Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee.)
