Australian Ants

Common Australian Ants

Fire Ants (Solenopsis invicta-Red Imported Fire Ants)

Introduced pest causing ever greater problems in South East Queensland both agriculturally and domestically.

Quick facts:

reddish in colour with a painful sting.
extremely aggressive.
seek medical treatment if you are allergic to their alkaloid venom.
very resilient even in the harshest conditions.

Report them

If you believe there are fire ants at your property, phone the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) on 13 25 23. DAF will inspect your property and carry out a treatment of the nest. There is no charge for the inspection or treatment.

Find out more including fact sheets, images and a detection map on the DAF fire ants web page.

Coastal Brown Ant

Quick facts:

light brown in colour.
most common small brown ant found in Brisbane backyards.
piles of loose soil are thrown up around nest entrances.
can also nest indoors
usually enter houses to forage and generally prefer meat products and grease.

Black House Ant

Quick facts:

shiny and black
can and does nest both inside and out.
rarely nest in soil.
distinctive long trails and black droppings internally on floors etc.
prefer sweet food and are commonly found in 'wet areas' as they satify their need for moisture.

Bull Ant

Quick facts:

red/black-approx 20mm in length
typically found outside under logs etc.
very painful sting.
rarely enter buildings and feed on other insects.

Argentine Ant

Quick facts:

light/dark brown-approx 2-3mm in length.
prefer sweet foods.
can bite but not painful.
large size colonies.
aggressive towards other ant species.

Green-Headed Ant

Quick facts:

black with metallic green head-approx 5-6mm in length.
can inflict painful stings.
rarely enters buildings.
scavengers, predators and seed-eaters, generally having a broad diet of animal material, insects, small arthropods.

Sugar Ant

Quick facts:

body is orange-brown.Head and mandibles are black. Range in size from 2 to 15mm in length.
collect sugary substances.
prefer warm and humid climates.
predominantly nocturnal.

Garden Ant

Quick facts:

dark brown/black colour-4-5mm in length.
foraging worker ants follow along trails to food sources. Sweet foods preferred.
mostly outdoors in and around concrete paths etc.

Pharoah Ants

Quick facts:

yellow/brown-1-2mm in length.
seek out warm interiors.
feed on proteins-meat,fats,insects etc.

White Footed Ants

Quick facts:

brown/black-3mm in length.
can be found outside in tree trunks or previous termite galleries.Internally in walls close to food sources.
seek out sweet substances and warm locations.