They take over regions through the ability to work together and the huge numbers present in colonies. Ants taken from various regions in Australia all share the same pheromone markers identifying them as belonging to the same family or colony. I.e. They have a common genetic starting point. This permits them to identify each other as friends or family which removes the need for aggression and wallah...success!

Recent research in the states has found that by altering the pheromones on the ants of a colony it is possible to disrupt the happy home and cause a ‘civil war’ amongst the ants. This is how the ants are controlled naturally in their homeland of Argentina, fighting amongst different colonies.

This line of research has huge potential however at present the only accepted method of control is by chemical means. Of the chemical application methods baiting is the current best management option due to their colonial structure and location of nests. Up to 8 queens are produced for every 1000 worker ants which may form nests in tree hollows, mulch, and underground, just about anywhere. This results in many nests with a rapid and high ability to reproduce (Larva hatch between 11-50 days of incubation). When threatened reproduction increases.

Baiting relies on the worker ants carrying the poisoning agent back to the nest were it is consumed by the colony resulting in devastation of the population. Given this very effective method of action it typically accounts for around 99% of the target species easily however it requires much more effort and diligence to eradicate the remaining 1%.

Following such large scale reduction to the Argentine ant’s colonial size the response of the ant is usually to reproduce at rates exceeding the pre-treatment state. For this reason it is imperative that any strategy aimed at fully eradicating the Argentine Ant be practical and applicable and has the necessary resources to undertake all aspects of the project. To stop during or mid program would be waste of time, money and effort.

Such is the current case of managing the AA on Norfolk Island. The eradication process began in December of 2008 and ran for 2 weeks. In line with accepted methods bait was applied in paste form every meter in the identified infested western region of the island. Unfortunately before all areas could be treated the bait ran out. The waste management centre was left for the moment and waste began to build up as it was realised that authorities could not transport ant infested waste around the island and undo the good work done with the pasting.

Now (April 28^th 2009), 4 months after the end of the first unsuccessful program the administration is at it again. During April they have been baiting on a small scale the waste management centre. And again administration has run out of bait. The Norfolk Island Administration applied and received permission to burn all the green waste and mixed builders’ waste which had been accumulating on the island over the last 12 months next to the international airport and the main township Burnt Pine. This permission was given to them by themselves as they are the authorising body on the island. Now the mixed builders waste contained and still contains all sorts of nasties including paints, motorbikes, asbestos, plastics, computers, batteries and the list goes on. It also contains some wood!

The reasoning was that baiting for the ants could not go ahead due to the possible safety concerns for workers and the fact that it is impossible to effectively bait the large piles of waste and any such attempt would be futile waste of time, money and effort.

So, burning commenced on the 10^th of March and soon after people started going to hospital for illnesses such as severe asthma attacks and eye irritations (little wonder when the gaseous emissions undoubtedly contained toxins such as dioxins and furans as well as a large amount of particulate matter).Unfortunately the accepted method of assessing air pollution (via visual appearance i.e. Does it look alright?) failed to pick up the invisible toxic components in the emissions.

Whilst this was carrying on the AA started recolonising the western region of the island again (which had actually began 3 weeks after the pasting program ended) and new colonies were identified in the eastern side of the island.

Calls to the authorities were greeted with reassurances that this was all part of the overall strategic plan for the island to deal with these issues and follow up actions will soon be implemented.

So when the baiting recommenced in April it was thought that it may be under control, except that about 50% of the waste was still on site and as such effective baiting could not be done. This begs the question of what exactly are the objectives of the Norfolk Island Administration For so far it appeared that it was to stimulate ant reproduction deplete the financial reserves of the island, place highly toxic pellets all over our farms and catchments and force residents into hospitals and out of their homes.

At this point correspondence with George Plant the CEO of Norfolk Island was initiated and once again reassurance was given that the actions were all part of a strategic plan. However the details were absent.

There is a 5 page letter on Peter Garrett's desk from the NSW Environmental Defenders Office on behalf of EcoNorfolk Foundation which presents this situation and asking for action from the Federal Government.

This is where we stand as of ... April 28^th 2009.