Fire ant outbreak

THE Lockyer Valley may have dodged a bullet with a minor outbreak of fire ants identified at Hatton Vale, but authorities are warning residents to remain vigilant.

The scare came after a nest had been located on a property near Hatton Vale and the Lockyer Valley Regional Council (LVRC) mayor Steve Jones warned of dire consequences for the region should there be further incursions of fire ants into the Lockyer Valley with the region having a clean, green image for produce.

"My worry with it is they are now so close to a major horticultural area," Cr Jones said.

"It's only a couple of years ago they were in the southern suburbs of Brisbane and now they are on our doorstep."

Biosecurity Queensland Control Centre director Neil O'Brien said the department had responded quickly to the detection of a new fire ant infestation in the Lockyer Valley.

"Following the detection of a single colony on a property at Hatton Vale, Biosecurity Queensland conducted surveillance by odour detection dogs, field staff and the recently operationalised remote sensing cameras," Mr O'Brien said.

Local residents are urged to report any suspect nests to Biosecurity Queensland on 132523. For more information about fire ants, visit biosecurity.qld.gov.au.