Electric ant

• Tiny social ant about 1.5mm long.
• Body is golden-brown.
• Usually slow-moving.
• Form distinct foraging lines.

• Establish colonies anywhere rather than having visible nests.
• Found under stones, blocks, sleepers, logs and in garden waste, leaf litter, soil, trees, around swimming pools, watercourses.
• Also found in wall cavities, clothing, bedding, garden equipment, camping gear.
• Found in wet and dry conditions.
• Can survive in water, may sting you in your swimming pool, raft in waterways and be moved by flooding.

• Found in Cairns and surrounding areas.
• Use the electric ant interactive map to see affected locations.

• Queens live for approximately 12 months and lay up to 70 eggs a day.
• Eggs are incubated for 8–10 days.
• Larvae develop for 14–16 days.
• Nymphal stage lasts 13–14 days.
• Adult workers live for more than 40 days.
• Males live for several weeks.

Environmental

• Can out-compete and displace other ant species.
• Can cause declines in numbers of invertebrates and small vertebrates—in the long term, dense infestations reduce overall biodiversity.
• Thought to have reduced reptile populations in New Caledonia and tortoise populations in Galapagos Archipelago, where ants eat hatchlings and attack eyes and cloacae of adult tortoises.

Economic

• Electric ants collect honeydew from sap-sucking insects and protect them from other predators. This can result in agricultural farms experiencing dieback and reduction in crop yield through reduced plant vigour and the spread of crop diseases such as sooty mould. In addition to lost crop production, direct production costs are increased by additional insecticide and fungicide treatment required.
• In some countries, there has been a significant loss in tourism as their painful sting discourages outdoor recreational activities.

Social

• Inflict stings on humans that cause painful, itchy, persistent pimples and, rarely, severe allergic reactions.
• May sting, and can blind domestic pets.
• Dense infestations may leave backyards or pools unusable.
• May invade insides of houses.

• Chemical baits can be used to destroy electric ant colonies.
• Movement controls are in place for electric ants and electric ant carriers.

• Electric ants are category 1 restricted matter under the Biosecurity Act 2014. Under the Act, all Queenslanders have a general biosecurity obligation to manage biosecurity risks and threats that are under their control, they know about or they are expected to know about. If you suspect electric ants you must report this within 24 hours by contacting Biosecurity Queensland.
• An electric ant biosecurity zone is in place in 6 council areas in Far North Queensland: Cairns Regional, Cassowary Coast Regional, Tablelands Regional, Mareeba Shire, Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire and the Douglas Shire. The biosecurity zone has been established to minimise the risk of moving materials (electric ant carriers) that could spread the pest.
• Under the Biosecurity Act 2014 individuals and organisations within the biosecurity zone whose activities involve the movement of electric ant carriers have a general biosecurity obligation to take all reasonable steps to ensure they do not spread electric ants.
• When moving electric ant carriers from a property in the biosecurity zone, you must comply with the relevant movement controls—the biosecurity zone has 2 levels of restrictions: the lesser restrictions area, and the restricted zone. Use the electric ant interactive map to determine if your property is within the restricted zone. If it is, you must hold a biosecurity instrument permit, which allows you to move an electric ant carrier:
  • between properties within the restricted zone
  • from a property within the restricted zone to a property outside of the restricted zone.
• A permit is not required if the electric ant carrier is moved to a waste facility that accepts electric ant carriers. Advise the facility that the waste is coming from an electric ant restricted zone. Find an up-to-date list of applicable waste facilities.