Australia floods: Deadly fire ants form rafts to travel on flood waters, aiding the spread of one of the world’s most invasive species

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1. BBC News’ Hannah Ritchie:

   • Fire ants are forming rafts to travel on flood waters across storm-ravaged Australia, aiding the spread of one of the world’s most invasive species.

   • Considered a super pest, fire ants can cause major ecosystem changes and agricultural loss by feeding on native plants and animals. Their stings can also kill people.

   • Video evidence of the rafting [behaviour] has been documented on cane farms south of Brisbane, Queensland — where fire ants have already infested about 700,000 hectares of land.

   • Native to South America, red imported fire ants were first detected in Queensland in 2001 and have largely been contained within the state’s borders since then.

   • Australia’s unique climate and lack of natural predators make it “the perfect home for fire ants”, which could inhabit “the entire continent except for the most extreme coldest locations” if not contained, according to biosecurity authorities.