Invasive red fire ants are wreaking havoc in Australia, sending dozens of people to hospitals and worrying about the way things are going to be bad.
What’s going on?
After the remains of cyclone Alfred have dropped heavy rains in southeast Queensland in early March, an already important problem worsened, CNN reported, citing Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Sixty people needed medical care due to ants and 23 were hospitalized. A puppy was found dead on a fiery ant nest, and the cattle and native species are also at risk.
The government has reserved $ 24 million Australian dollars for abolition efforts, but residents are concerned about the explosion of ants and the damage, which includes pustules and allergic reactions in humans.
“They are just everywhere. They are crawling on the patios, they enter our homes, they get the lawn mower on, on the tractor,” said construction worker Scott Rider in ABC Rural.
Why is it important?
Fire ants reached the country via Brisbane in 2001 and have since spread to Queensland, in New South Wales and in the Murray-Darling basin, according to the invasive species council. CNN noted that creatures have been established in North America and China and last year for the first time in Europe.
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More than 95% of Australia is sensitive to invasive species, and this could cost the economy for $ 2 billion AUD each year. A study also estimated that 38% of mammals, 45% of birds, 69% of reptiles and 95% of frogs in the south-east of Queensland would undergo population drops due to ants.
The working group on the abolition of state fire ants has set up a perimeter around the infestation to try to prevent animals from spreading more. Until now, it has spent $ 61 million in bait and air treatments to reduce the density of the colonies up to 80%.
“The only assistance that residents of the area (deletion) get baits is sending if they report fire ants,” Agister Kirsty McKenna told ABC Rural. “There is no team help and no support.”
What is it in the invasion of fire ants?
A national plan hopes to eradicate fire ants by 2032, but landowners in the inner suppression area must deal with the problem themselves. Otherwise, the granules are divided via planes, helicopters, drones, all-terrain vehicles and portable devices, with the size of the treatment area determining the method.
The areas should not be disrupted, including by mowing or watering, for 48 hours later, and poultry must be held out for 24 hours.
Hay, grass grass and other materials cannot be moved without inspection and cannot cross borders.
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