A big thank you to Tweed Shire Council and the people of South Murwillumbah for your support and co-operation over the last month.  

The NSW DPI response team together with the National Fire Ant Eradication Program have made great progress and to date have located no other fire ant nests in the control area.  

The surveillance and inspection of sites either near or linked to the detected fire ant nests are nearing completion. This is conducted by staff or detector dog teams to check if any high-risk properties could be housing fire ants. 

 

The next steps for South Murwillumbah

The next part of the emergency response for Murwillumbah South is to treat and look for fire ants within the 5km movement control area. This is led by the National Fire Ant Eradication Program.

  • In the next couple of weeks, all properties will receive in their letterbox information about the treatment program and a request for your consent to access your yard.  
  • Then in early 2024, the National Fire Ant Eradication Program will be conducting surveillance and treatment to ensure that there are no more fire ants present.   

It is vital that fire ant teams check and treat 100% of properties in the 5km zone, whether fire ants are visible or not. This removes any risk of nests going undetected.

Your co-operation takes us one step closer to eradicating fire ants from South Murwillumbah! 

Please help us by playing an active role in protecting your community against fire ants, by providing consent to allow surveillance and treatment on your properties. 

What do I need to do?

Complete a consent form to authorise fire ant teams to enter the outdoor areas of your property, by visiting the National Fire Ant Eradication website. You will receive more information in your letterbox about this next week. 

Before a team treats your property, they will either phone or knock on your door to see you are home. 

Detail on the process is available on the National Fire Ant Eradication website.

Treatment is safe for people and animals 

Treatment is approved by the Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA). You can find further information on the National Fire Ant Eradication website.