More public education needed to help local businesses with fire ant protection

Oakey Rural Supplies owner Julie Childes said she was aware of the detection at the Oakey army base but was not worried at this stage and would remain vigilant.

"I haven't had any of the public come in and talk about it at all," she said.

"There is no sense in panicking because it's not going to help is it."

Ms Childes said while she wasn't certain of exactly what to look out for, she knew that fire ants were different to regular ants in their appearance and would look into doing some research but hope the infestation would be contained to the Oakey site.

"Hopefully now that the government knows, they will be doing something about it and it won't spread further," she said.

She has a property in Devon Park near Jondaryan but said they hadn't detected any fire ants there or at her business.

"I know we are fairly close to the base but I haven't seen anything around here and certainly none on our property...my husband is very keen to keep an eye on it," she said.

Further north in Crows Nest, near the Highfields fire ant detection site, Property Management Products owner Emma Lynch, said she was unsure of how to detect a fire ant nest or what to do if she found one on her land.

"I only know what I have seen on the news and radio and read on Facebook, but no communication from official channels," she said.

"I would have thought maybe the government might have put out some sort of guide on what to do, if someone thinks they have fire ants on their property.

"I saw the lady in Jimboomba on the news, whose daughter was bitten by fire ants. It's pretty scary."

Toowoomba Region mayor Geoff McDonald said teams from the National Fire Ant Eradication Program were at the Toowoomba Show recently, Oakey customer service centre last week and Goombungee Show on the weekend.

"Teams from the NFAEP were out in the community...to answer questions and share the live fire ant display to help residents recognise these pests and understand the treatment required," he said.

"Toowoomba Regional Council will continue supporting the community education efforts of the NFAEP and has used our own social media channels to highlight what fire ants look like and to share relevant contacts should residents suspect they have fire ants on their property.

"I urge residents in the Oakey area and surrounding district to remain vigilant and educate themselves about what fire ants look like so that any potential detections can be reported to the NFAEP to stop the spread of these pests."

Ms Lynch runs 100 head of Santa Gerturdis cattle and horses on her property, located between Crows Nest and Goombungee.

She said while her business sourced products from local suppliers, she felt she had little cause for concern.

"The suppliers we use are very careful so we are confident that they will stay on top of things," she said.

"Obviously fire ants could pop up anywhere...I don't know if the government can contain them and guarantee that they won't spread further.

"How do you tell a fire ant nest from a normal ant nest? I don't think I know enough about them to be able to identify what is not a normal ants nest."