Nests | Department of Primary Industries

Unless you disturb a fire ant nest, you are more likely to see the nests before you see the ants. Fire ant nests are COMMON in:

Fire ants are RARE in shaded, undisturbed areas such as bushland, forests, or inside homes.

Fire ant nests commonly appear as:

mounds or flattish patches of soil
loose or crumbly appearance on the surface
up to 40 cm high
with no single obvious entrance holes
nests are generally higher in cooler weather
if disturbed, fire ants will aggressively swarm from the nest in large numbers, stinging simultaneously.

Find them

Around utility pits like water and gas meters, near water sources and along footpaths and driveways.

Look around dams and irrigation lines, on the edges of cultivated land and along fence lines and cropped land.

May not be obvious and you may find them in gardens, on roadsides or on landslips. They also be found on eroded or exposed soil caused by earthworks.

Fire ants can be found next to and under timber, plant pots, pavers, rocks, logs or bricks.

Nests have been found in piles of organic matter and in hay bales.

Fire ant mounds have no obvious entrance and can be found in rural, residential and industrial areas.