Fire Ants!

Apparently, as any good warmonger will tell you, it is good to get to know your enemy.I have been researching Fire Ants and have ‘happily’ discovered I am presently residing in a High Risk Area!They are called Fire Ants because the sting, apparently, feels akin to being burned.It is highly likely, though not known for certain, that these ants arrived in Australia in a container ship sometime in early 2001. Originally from South America they have slowly spread from the Brisbane dock area out across the Brisbane suburbs. The Australian Government has spent millions of dollars on the battle to eradicate these pests with some success but they are still here.The helicopter I had seen the other day was part of this ongoing battle. It was somehow using infrared technology to scour the land below for Fire Ant nests.It would also appear that Fire Ants are not the only problem here. The information website also had information on Electric Ants! They arrived, like the Fire Ants, unwanted from South America and are on the march in Northern Queensland...far away from here but worrying nonetheless.It does not end there...I have not mentioned the Yellow Crazy Ant! I joke not!Yellow Crazy Ants, so called because of their ‘erratic walking style and frantic movements’ are also an unwelcome (accidental) import. Again first discovered in Cairns in 2001 (...a great year for ant tourism, not so good for Australia) their spread has been so great that eradication of this pest is now no longer considered feasible. Infestations have been treated in Brisbane suburbs quite near where we are. This delightful creature sprays formic acid and has caused havoc on Christmas Island amongst its red crab population.The Yellow Crazy Ant webpage also contained a full list of animals that are considered pests here in Australia.I was surprised to see that the Blackbird is one of them! What?! It’s true!How did it get here?...Most probably in a pie sent before a king...(brown)Have they become vampiric? Are all the lovely yellow beaks of the common blackbird forever stained here, with the blood of their victims?I was relieved to see that they are not a problem here in Brisbane but then alarmed to discover that they have been seen around Stanthorpe...near where Frogknot is!It was bad enough expecting a date with a King Brown when we get to Frogknot, let alone fending off giant spiders...but now I can expect blackbirds too!I made a note of the number for the Blackbird Hotline...(I kid you not...there really is one!) It might come in handy.