In case you hadn't heard, invasive red fire ants are continuing their destructive march from Queensland into other parts of Australia.
According to the Australian Government, the imported red fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) is one of the worst invasive species to reach Australia. These ants impact our environment and many industries, particularly agriculture. They can restrict everyday activities such as barbeques, picnics, kids playgrounds and sporting events. They can also inflict painful and life-threatening bites on people, pets and livestock and cause extensive damage to ecological and agricultural systems.
The good news is that we think RoadBlock - Spider and Ant Automotive Treatment could be an important part of the complex eradication and control processes underway right now. The product could be used to spray vehicles likely to come into contact with contaminated soils (ie trucks, farm equipment, utes, trailers etc) reducing the possibility of further spreading.
To kick start the process, we have been formally testing RoadBlock - Spider and Ant Automotive Treatment against fire ants on typical automotive surfaces. That testing started in December 2023 and the results so far have all been incredibly positive....the fire ants definitely don't like it!
In January 2024, we lodged an application with the Australian Pests Veterinary Medicines Authority to formally register RoadBlock for use against Fire Ants and that application has now passed the preliminary approval process. Stand by for updates.