A nest of fire ants has been detected at Wardell, south of Ballina, NSW authorities confirmed on Saturday.
A gardener raised the alarm on Friday after disturbing the nest and being bitten, suffering what's described as blistering pain.
Authorities are due to examine the site on Saturday and destroy it with liquid insecticide.
The insects are a reddish-brown colour measuring two to six millimetres and can be aggressive when disturbed.
Fire ants are thought to have arrived in Australia carried in freight in the 1990s. (Dept. Of Primary Industries/AAP PHOTOS)
The Invasive Species Council says in addition to being lethal to humans, fire ants can cause substantial environmental damage. They can kill native plants and animals as well as livestock, and can wreck ecosystems.Â
Invasive Species Council advocacy manager Reece Pianta said the spread to Wardell was a very alarming development.
"Everyone in the Northern Rivers should be out checking for fire ants, particularly if you have had any recent material delivered to your property like soil, turf or mulch," he said.
He said the ants were one of the world's worst super pests and could do more economic damage than cane toads, rabbits, feral cats and foxes combined if they were allowed to spread across Australia.
The ants can be found in southeast Queensland and were detected in NSW in November at a property 13km south of the border.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries is trying to learn how long the ants have been in Wardell and how they arrived.
They are known to travel in floodwaters by locking together to create rafts and are most active during wet weather, according to the council.
The Northern Rivers area has recently been impacted by flooding.
Check out this nest of fire ants forming a raft on floodwaters, captured recently by a cane grower on his Gold Coast farm.— Jack Gough (@JackEGough) This behaviour can lead to long distance spread of the super pest.🔥�💧Fire ants are more active before or after rainfall & so can be easier to spot. pic.twitter.com/kUUmNkOlCiJanuary 16, 2024
NSW Farmers president Xavier Martin said all levels of government needed to step up efforts to exterminate the pest.
He said fire ants were eradicated from Port Botany in NSW in 2014 after government agencies acted quickly.
Fire ants are native to South America and arrived in Australia in the 1990s via freight.
The nation's bid to eradicate the pest will be examined in a Senate inquiry.
Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt has previously said they could cause more damage to agriculture and the environment than all other invasive pests combined.
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