Is Ballina in a fire ant zone?

We never say a town is in or out of a zone, because they change. Zones and movement rules are set by the NSW Government, so report anything suspicious to them and follow their advice.

Can a pest business treat fire ants for me?

Not as a private job. Fire ants are prohibited under the NSW Biosecurity Act 2015, so suspected nests are reported, and the NSW Government deals with them. Our form doesn't take fire ant jobs.

Do you cover Lennox Head, Alstonville and Wardell?

Tell us your postcode with what you've seen, and we look for a local pest business that does that job nearby.

Pest control Ballina: termites, fire ants and mosquitoes

If you think you've seen fire ants

Don't touch, treat or try to destroy the nest, and keep kids and pets away. Take a clear photo or video from a safe distance and report it to the NSW Biosecurity Helpline, or through the NSW Government's online form. If someone has a severe reaction to stings, call 000.

What's different in Ballina

The Wardell detection

Red imported fire ants were found at Wardell late on Friday 19 January 2024, and the site was destroyed the next day. A 500 m radius was treated, and a biosecurity control order restricted movement within 5 km of the site.

How they travel

The NSW Government says fire ants spread in carrier materials such as soil, mulch, hay and turf. A fresh load of garden soil or a new lawn is worth a look over in the weeks after it arrives.

High mosquito counts

In the week ending 7 February 2026, NSW Health rated mosquito numbers at its Ballina traps as high. As at 30 July 2026, it also lists Ballina as a Japanese encephalitis high risk area, which is a matter for NSW Health and your GP.

Tides and rain together

On the coast, NSW Health says tidal inundation matters as much as rainfall for mosquito breeding. North-east NSW had rainfall well above average from January to March 2025.

Fire ant or ordinary ant?

Business Queensland describes fire ants as small, 2 to 6 mm, coppery brown with a darker abdomen, with workers of different sizes in the one nest. The mounds can be up to 40 cm high or flat like disturbed soil, often in lawns and open ground, with no obvious entry holes.

Ordinary black or brown ants trailing across the kitchen bench aren't a report; they're a hygiene and pest job. If you're unsure which you've got, the photo and the report still come first.

Buying in Ballina: the termite side

In NSW there's no cooling-off period if you buy at auction, or exchange on auction day after the property is passed in. That means the timber pest inspection has to happen before you bid.

With a private sale, the cooling-off period is 5 business days, and a buyer who pulls out in that time forfeits 0.25% of the purchase price. NSW Government advice is to get a pest inspection as well as a building report, especially where termites are a known problem.

If it were our house in Ballina

We'd look over any new soil, mulch or turf for odd mounds, and report anything that fits the fire ant description. If we were buying, we'd have the timber pest inspection done before auction day, not after.

Want someone to look at it?

Tell us what you've seen and your postcode, and a local pest business that handles exactly that calls you to talk it through.

What have you seen?