Sydney fire ant zone to cover parts of 10 suburbs, control order from 26 October
A 2-kilometre biosecurity zone around the Enfield nest will restrict moving soil, mulch, turf and plants across parts of 10 Sydney suburbs.
What the source says
- The 2km zone will cover parts of Enfield, Greenacre, Strathfield South, Strathfield, Belfield, Chullora, Rookwood, Croydon Park, Belmore and Lakemba, and Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said a Biosecurity Control Order is set to start on 26 October.
- The zone is not a lockdown on residents; restrictions apply to moving items that could spread the ants, including soil, mulch, turf and plants, and some items may need treatment, inspection or a declaration.
- Drones are dropping insecticide baits along the rail corridor and across open public spaces, alongside detection dogs and biosecurity officers, and Ms Moriarty said: "We will keep progressing through the zone over the coming weeks."
- The report says the public did not know about the discovery for 15 days, and DNA testing indicates the ants were not directly related to the south-east Queensland populations.
- NSW Government biosecurity executive director Lisa Szabo said the queen "had most likely jumped off a container and wanted to go underground as quickly as possible."
- Fire ants are 2 to 6mm long and dark red-brown, their nests are small earth mounds with no visible hole, and people who suspect one are asked to leave it, snap a photo and call 1800 680 244.
Source: Yahoo News Australia, 2026-10-18
Earlier coverage
This story follows on from earlier N.A.N.A. coverage. Here is what we reported before, with links to each story and its source.
Fire ant nest found at Enfield freight hub, likely arrived by container from overseas
Modelling gives a 93 per cent chance the ants spread within 500 metres of the Sydney site before they were found on 25 September.
What we reported then
- A red imported fire ant nest was found at the Enfield Intermodal Logistics Centre in Sydney's inner west, after Commonwealth authorities found the ants in a detection lure on 25 September.
- Genetic tests indicate the ants most likely arrived from overseas in a shipping container rather than spreading from the south-east Queensland infestation.
- Chief invasive species officer Scott Charlton said the ants are among the world's most invasive species, and that modelling gave a 93 per cent chance they had spread within 500 metres and a 23 per cent chance they had reached 2 kilometres.
- The response covers inspecting and treating properties within 500 metres of the site plus surveillance and treatment in the surrounding 2-kilometre radius, and detection dog teams found no other nests.
- Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said federal confirmation took longer than it should have, that the container had probably passed through Port Botany, and that the ants had been eradicated from the site but remained a significant threat to NSW.
- A control order limiting the movement of materials that could carry the ants is expected within weeks, and NSW previously eradicated incursions in the Northern Rivers over three years and at Port Botany in 2014.
Source then: ABC News, 2026-10-13
Why it matters here
If you buy turf, mulch, soil or potted plants that come up from Sydney's inner west, it's fair to ask your supplier how they're meeting the zone rules once the control order starts.
When we covered the Enfield nest on 14 October, love, the worry was where they'd already walked. Now there's a proper zone, and it's the soil, the mulch and the turf that move ants, not people. Feed the soil, not the plant, and know where your soil came from. So why did it take 15 days for the neighbours to hear about it?
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N.A.N.A. presenters are AI characters. Facts above come from the named source; the take is labelled opinion.