Save The Bees Australia and Community Voice Australia demand an immediate halt to the use of Fipronil and Pyriproxyfen along with other insecticides being used without adequate analysis of the cumulative effects of repeated poisoning.  

In January 2023 the Australian government embarked on a fire ant poisoning program in Queensland and NSW. Crossing over time frames with the unsuccessful NSW varroa poisoning program for NSW. 

Both poisoning programs use/d Fipronil. There are two control methods being used to kill fire ants:

1. Fipronil injected into fire ant nest
2. Baiting: Two Methods
   a. Insect Growth Regulator - uses s-methoprene or pyriproxyfen
   b. Insecticide indoxacarb or a combination of hydramethylnon and pyriproxyfen

https://www.fireants.org.au/treat/treatment-by-the-program/treatment-types/fire-ant-bait

Poisoning also occurs through arial spraying. People are told their properties must be baited and sprayed ongoingly (up to 6 times over two years); this includes childcare centres, schools, parks, homes. What are the cumulative effects of these poisons?

We are raising concerns specifically about two chemicals being used:

Fipronil

A “wildly toxic” chemical used to combat fire ants and the varroa mite in Australia is banned in Europe and harmful to humans – and it is poisoning waterways and killing native fauna, experts warn.  

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/16/fipronil-fire-ant-poison-toxic-senate-inquiry-bans?

Fipronil acts as an insect nerve agent and is banned for use on crops in the EU, China, Vietnam and California because of its effect on pollinators. The insecticide was used in sugar baits across New South Wales in the now abandoned fight against the invasive varroa mite and has been injected into 35,539 fire ant nests in south-east Queensland and northern NSW since January 2023 as part of the national red imported fire ant eradication program. 

Pyriproxyfen

A deadly cocktail of chemicals including Pyriproxyfen has been linked to over 4000 birth defects in Brazil, is now being distributed to residents in Australia at taxpayers' expense in massive quantities to combat ants that experts believe are already endemic to the state. 

Pyriproxyfen, known to stunt the development of tadpoles by impeding proper brain and genitalia growth, has raised concerns due to its potential correlation with microcephaly, a condition where babies' heads fail to develop properly, resulting in abnormally small skulls and limiting brain development. https://rb.gy/lgo4g5

The disruption of thyroid hormone, crucial for foetal brain development, is a key concern as its absence hampers proper brain growth, leading to lifelong learning difficulties in affected children.

Agrochemical companies, with strong government lobbying efforts, are being funded billions in a program aimed at encouraging residents, including school staff, to use indiscriminate pesticides.

We urge Northern NSW and Queensland residents to contact their local councils and explain they do not consent to the chemical intervention and urge the government to use biological controls like natural occurring fungi to slow the spread. 

Similar to the inability of the varroa mite measures to be able to contain varroa, the same concerns are raised regarding red fire ant. Red fire are estimated to have arrived in Australia up to 40 years ago.

Fire ants are resilient and spread rapidly, due to being able to raft up after floods and float down rivers. Fire ants are smart and highly adaptive and can survive in a range of climates and conditions.

They can:

• travel over and under ground
• fly up to 5 km
• raft on waterways after floods or wet weather events.

We urge caution regarding ongoing biosecurity campaigns using widespread toxic insecticides; for the sake of the environment, animals, plants and human health.