Fire Ant Treatment Alternatives Page

17/10/2026

Need a sign for your gate? 🌿

Our corflute signs are available to purchase, with proceeds supporting Fire Ant Treatment Alternatives’ ongoing campaign for safer alternatives, advocacy for residents and legal support.

🟡 No Poison Zone — A4, $15
🔴 No Trespass — A3, $20

Pick-up from Samford or the Gold Coast, or postage for approximately $10–$15 depending on size and location.

Message this page to order. Thanks for helping us keep this work going!

13/10/2026

Thank you to Jim Willmott from Property Rights Australia for bringing an important perspective to the Gympie Fire Ant Information Forum.

Jim’s emphasis on community-led biosecurity, cooperation and properly supported local action deserves serious consideration. Landholders have valuable knowledge and should have a meaningful voice in how fire ants are managed.

One particularly important question is how we measure success: how much land has been cleared of fire ants and stayed clear? Counting hectares baited or nests treated alone doesn’t answer that.

Fire Ant Treatment Alternatives welcomes this discussion about effective, accountable approaches that respect landholders and protect our environment.

Find out more at www.treatfireants.org.

The Gympie Region Fire Ant Group information forum was held today with around 220 people attending. [1]

Amongst the speakers were Llew O'Brien MP and Jim Willmott from Property Rights Australia. Credit for this photo belongs to a post by Llew O'Brien. [2]

Jim spoke about how no body wants fire ants to spread, however we need more involvement by the community.

There was a good roll up by Gympie Regional councilors who express the desire for a greater local government role and not leaving it all to Biosecurity Qld. The need was identified of some non-chemical alternatives to be included in the treatment mix.

Some quotes from Jim Willmott's speech:
"You will never succeed in managing invasive pests over the long term without the cooperation of landowners and local communities.

After 25 years, I don't just want to hear how much land we've baited or how many nests we've treated. How much land have fire ants been eradicated from? And is it staying that way? Surely that's not too much to ask!

You cannot build a successful long-term biosecurity program on fear and distrust.

If we're going to be managing fire ants for generations, surely we need more tools in the toolbox.
I'm advocating for an approach that respects property rights and gives people a genuine say, a choice.

We have to move from a culture of enforcement to one of cooperation and shared responsibility.

And there's a practical way we could start - with community-led biosecurity syndicates.
We've seen encouraging reductions on Scenic Rim farms, where producers worked with the program. Around Rocky Point, cane growers have coordinated suppression. And there have been successes in eradicating small, localised outbreaks beyond the main suppression zones.

Imagine local fire ant groups coordinating surveillance, reporting, education and practical treatment.
Local councils could help with coordination as they are the closest form of government to the people (not shiny bum bureaucrats in Brisbane).
Governments would provide the funding, technical expertise, research and support.
But the community would have a genuine role in shaping decisions.
And let me be absolutely clear.
This must not be an excuse for governments to shift costs and responsibilities onto landowners or councils. "

[1] https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid06Z9XNdwnn9Py1R7ZgroCczKhVVcM5KdfafL2qH6QnaXQxCB15SKkLiPCYswqZGaDl&id=61594153705864
[2] https://www.facebook.com/llewobrienLNP/posts/pfbid02yp4gcSSXRZDyqVkDqoJUxx6X9Rs1EuByeJVSTL4vECtNBdEUL8esNndsh1LdNrZ2l

11/10/2026

A big thank you to Llew O’Brien MP, Federal Member for Wide Bay, for taking the time to attend and speak at the Gympie Fire Ant Information Forum.

It was lovely to meet you, Llew, and I really enjoyed our conversation about the concerns we’ve been raising through Fire Ant Treatment Alternatives.

I especially appreciated your openness and willingness to listen as we discussed the independent scientific research, environmental concerns and questions surrounding the current eradication program.

Thank you again for being so generous with your time. It was a pleasure chatting with you, and I look forward to keeping in touch!

For anyone interested in learning more, visit www.treatfireants.org.

10/10/2026

09/10/2026

Tomorrow is the Gympie Fire Ant Information Forum! 🐜

If you’re concerned about fire ants or the way they’re being managed, come along, hear the speakers and ask your questions.

I’ll be speaking at 1:42pm as founder of Fire Ant Treatment Alternatives, sharing our experience in Samford and why we’re calling for safer, more targeted treatment.

📅 Saturday 10 October
🕐 Talks begin at 1pm, with speakers available afterwards until 4pm.

📹 Can’t make it? Watch the live stream on the Fire Ant Treatment Alternatives page.

🐝 Bee the change — help collect petition signatures!

If 500 people collect 10 signatures each, that’s 5,000 voices calling for change.

Print the petition here:
https://kommodo.ai/i/SRfCwgr3X4MZYpEx3i4r

Bring signed originals to the forum, or request mailing details from:
https://www.gympie-region-fire-ant-group.org/

Original signed petitions must be submitted — not scans or copies. The petition closes on 31 October 2026.

Please share and bring a friend!

07/10/2026

🐜🐝 THIS IS WHY WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE TOTAL CHEMICAL LOAD

The Channel 9 report attached to this post discusses Pesticide Action Australia’s 2026 testing of fruit and vegetables sold through major supermarkets.

Just 78 samples produced some extraordinary results:

201 pesticide residues.
54 different pesticides.
44% contained one or more PFAS pesticides.
56% contained at least one pesticide not approved in the EU.
5 different organophosphates were detected.
11 neonicotinoid residues were detected.
4 samples breached regulatory limits.

Now let's bring fire ants into this conversation.

Some of the same active ingredients detected in this food testing are also used within Australia's fire-ant treatment and biosecurity system: BIFENTHRIN, CHLORPYRIFOS, FIPRONIL and INDOXACARB.

And it doesn't stop at fire-ant bait.

Within the fire-ant biosecurity zones, potted plants and potting media can be chemically treated, including with bifenthrin. That includes food-producing plants sold in pots — citrus trees, herbs, chillies, vegetables and other edible plants. Treated plants can then move through the supply chain when the relevant movement requirements are met.

🐝 Then there are our bees.

We had approximately 100 grams of dead bees from a long-established colony independently laboratory tested. Bifenthrin was detected.

We are not claiming that result proves where the bifenthrin came from or, by itself, proves what killed the colony. But bifenthrin is highly toxic to bees, and now we're seeing the same insecticide appearing in Australian food-residue testing.

This is why saying “just wash your fruit and vegetables” completely misses the bigger issue.

We're putting insecticides into potting media, treating plants, baiting land, treating nests and turf, while pesticides and herbicides are also being used across agriculture, homes, nurseries and public spaces.

No, this report does not prove the fire-ant program caused these residues. These chemicals have other registered uses.

But surely it's time we started asking about the cumulative chemical load we're putting into our food-growing systems and environment rather than looking at every chemical and every application in isolation.

🐝 Our bees don't live in isolation. Our soil doesn't. Our waterways don't. And neither do we.
Join our fight against the chemical soup we are living in!

06/10/2026

If you’re concerned about fire ants or how they’re being managed, please add your voice by signing this petition.

🐝 Bee the change
🐝 If 500 people obtain 10 signatures, the Government will need to listen.
🐝 Print a Petition, go to https://kommodo.ai/i/SRfCwgr3X4MZYpEx3i4r
🐝 Get the signatures
🐝 Bring to the Forum OR contact us at https://www.gympie-region-fire-ant-group.org/ and request the mailing details. The originals must be posted!
🐝 Together we will be the Voice of change. ✅

closing date is 31st of October 2026.

Bee Informed, 🐝 it’s ImportANT! 🐜

04/10/2026

🔥 We really need a BIG turnout for this one.

If you’re concerned about fire ants, concerned about the way they’re currently being managed, or simply want to understand more about what is happening across Queensland — please come to the Gympie Fire Ant Information Forum on 10 October.

Nobody wants fire ants.

But there are genuine questions being asked about the safety, effectiveness and long-term sustainability of the current eradication strategy — and about whether safer, more targeted alternatives should form part of the way forward.

We have a fantastic range of confirmed speakers, including Federal Member for Wide Bay Llew O’Brien MP, former Biosecurity Officer Jim Willmott, soil microbiologist Norm Olsen, senior solicitor Anthony Walsgott, Fire Ant Treatment Alternatives founder Sarah McGuire, AAG affected farmer Trevor Hold and Gympie Region Fire Ant Group spokesperson Craig McManus, with Cr Allona Lahn as MC.

You don’t need to already have an opinion.

Come and listen. Ask questions. Hear different perspectives. Learn about the alternatives. Then make up your own mind.

The forum is being held in Gympie, the electorate of Queensland Minister for Primary Industries Tony Perrett, whose portfolio includes the Fire Ant Eradication Program. Minister Perrett and government biosecurity representatives have also been invited to participate.

And this isn’t just for people in Gympie.

We want people coming from the Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay, Brisbane, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim, Logan, Gold Coast, Northern NSW and everywhere in between.

If you’ve written letters and still have questions, if fire ants are approaching your area, if your property is already inside the program, or if you’ve simply been wondering what all of this means for Queensland — come along.

📅 Saturday 10 October
⏰ 1–4 pm
📍 Nelson Reserve, Gympie
🎟️ FREE — everyone welcome

Please share this reel far and wide.

Most importantly — come and get informed. 🔥 #

24/09/2026

Varroa is a serious problem, but PLEASE stop looking at our bees through a one-mite lens. 🐝
What about everything else we're exposing them to?
We independently tested dead bees from a long-established colony. No Varroa was detected in the sample tested, yet significant levels of bifenthrin were detected. That doesn't prove what killed the colony, but it absolutely deserves investigation.
Bifenthrin is highly toxic to bees, yet it is used in fire-ant controls for nurseries and turf. Then we have the NFAEP spreading insecticides and insect growth regulators across huge areas, councils spraying parks and roadsides, household pesticides, and residents spraying out flowering clover 🍀 and other valuable bee forage.
Research already shows that sublethal pesticide exposure can affect bees' immunity, behaviour, reproduction, development and longevity, and multiple stressors can interact. So what happens when you add Varroa, viruses, poor nutrition and habitat loss to bees already dealing with repeated chemical exposures?
And why aren't we putting far more effort into lower-impact Varroa treatments? A peer-reviewed 2025 study found stinging-nettle extract reduced Varroa infestation on adult bees by almost 89%, while dried nettle smoke produced substantial reductions too. That's the sort of research Australia should be investigating further — not pretending the only answer is more chemicals.
We also have loss of habitat and forage and invasive plants such as the African tulip tree, which has been associated with harm to native stingless bees.
Where is the research into the CUMULATIVE effect of all of this?
Varroa matters. But so do pesticides, viruses, nutrition, habitat and forage loss. Stop looking for ONE cause and start looking at the whole environment our bees are trying to survive in. 🐝🍀

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1cznqYPvGa/