MORE than 64,000 households across South East Queensland, including householders in the Rosewood district, have begun receiving free fire ant treatment kits from the state government.

Minister for Primary Industries, Tony Perrett said the initiative was part of the government’s moves to intensify its fight against fire ants.

“The self-treatment initiative will see registered residents from the Redlands to Rosewood receive their kits in the mail – giving families the tools to protect their backyards, neighbourhoods and outdoor lifestyle from one of the world’s most invasive pests,” Minister Perrett said.

“The kits are being sent by the Fire Ant Suppression Taskforce (FAST), and is part of the Crisafulli Government’s commitment to boost national efforts to eradicate fire ants from Australia by 2032, and is in addition to Queensland’s contribution under the national costs share program.”

Minister Perrett said the government was beefing up Queensland’s biosecurity, and has already invested $24 million dollars over the next two years for aerial treatment of fire ants on larger properties in the suppression zone.

“[We’re] bolstering Queensland’s biosecurity and providing residents with practical tools to drastically reduce fire ant populations.

“Fire ants are a serious biosecurity threat to our health, environment, economy, and outdoor way of life, so we need as many people as possible to treat their properties as part of our fight against this insidious pest.”.

“These safe, easy-to use self-treatment kits let residents in Ipswich, Logan, Redlands and parts of Brisbane and the Gold Coast sprinkle treatment across their yards during the warmer months, with ants carrying the granules back to their nests to stop the queen from producing viable offspring.”

Residents outside the designated areas can also receive a free nest treatment kit by mail after suspect ants or nests are reported to the National Fire Ant Eradication Program.

In tandem with household self-treatment kits, aerial treatment for larger properties in the suppression zones is already underway in the northern Gold Coast cane-growing areas including Alberton, Gilberton, Jacobs Well, Norwell, Pimpama, Steiglitz and Woongoolba.

Treatment will then move through Ormeau, Eagleby, the Logan-Albert River catchments, and onto the Bremer River catchment.

Minister Perrett said that by mid-2026, 106,000 hectares in the areas with the highest fire ant numbers will have been treated twice by helicopter or drone.