THE state government reckons the National Red Imported Fire Ant Eradication Program's efforts to eradicate the pest west of Brisbane are paying off but a former employee says the ants are out of control.
This comes after reports that the ants have spread outside detection zones to areas including Boyland, Birnam, Beaudesert, Veresdale Scrub, Veresdale, Gleneagle and Bromelton.
It follows claims from Biosecurity Queensland whistleblower Jamie Varcoe that the government was failing to eradicate or even contain the pests.
Mr Varcoe, who worked for biosecurity laying baits, told the ABC the department took too long to respond to potential sightings and up to 13,000 reports were awaiting confirmation.
"It just seems more of a gravy train than anything else," Mr Varcoe said.
Fire ant chief Graeme Dudgeon said the pests were attracted to new developments (because of freshly turned over soil).
Although thousands of reports were awaiting confirmation, any in places like children's playgrounds were acted on immediately.
Scenic Rim MP Jon Krause called for an independent assessment.
"I'm not surprised by any of this - it merely confirms what I have been pointing out to the government for two years. The response time to treat fire ant nests is simply too slow," he said.
"Landholders continually tell me that fire ants are identified, but delays in treating the nests means they can spread before being eradicated.
"It's no wonder they keep spreading. In one case at Peak Crossing, it took around eight weeks for nests to be treated. How many ants were picked up on the wind and spread south during that time?"
Forest Hill's Mitch Brimblecombe, Harrisville's Clinton Hines and Mount Walker's Geoff Freiberg were among those who believed two years of baiting was working.
A government statement said all three had previously had infestations on their properties and had not seen one suspect ant for up to 18 months.
Agriculture Minister Mark Furner said this was positive news for the program, which this week launched its largest surveillance campaign yet.
"We're asking people living on that western edge of the fire ant area to check their properties by August 31 and tell us either way - do you still have fire ants or are they gone," Mr Furner said.
Mr Furner said over the course of the 10-year program resources were focused on eradication strategies, working from the western boundary of the infestation area to the east.
Containment strategies were in place on the other boundaries, and suppression was undertaken within the operational boundary to minimise spread of fire ants until eradication strategies were applied.
"If left untreated, fire ants will ruin our way of life and have serious health and environmental impacts," Mr Furner said.
"Without the efforts of this national program fire ants could be north to Mackay, south to Sydney and west to Charleville by now."
Fire ants are aggressive and highly adaptive. Despite this, Australia has succeeded in eradication efforts where other countries have not.
"Since the program began, Australia has eradicated five separate incursions of fire ants, including a population spread over 8000 hectares at the Port of Brisbane. As the world's largest eradication of any ant species continues, the eyes of the world are on Australia," Mr Furner said.
Mr Krause said the news was not as positive as the government made out, with sightings well beyond detection zones.
"If the programme is so successful... then why do areas in which fire ants are found keep spreading? It's been 18 and a half years since they first arrived, and I think it's an unavoidable truth that the fire ants are winning this battle of attrition at the moment."
Mr Furner said if eradicating fire ants was easy, it would have been done by now.
