Stings, and ants to report
A bull ant sting is painful and sometimes causes anaphylaxis: if someone struggles to breathe, use their adrenaline autoinjector and call 000. Small coppery brown ants of mixed sizes, with a mound of loose soil, could be fire ants: don't touch or treat them, and contact ACT Biosecurity.
Which Canberra ant is it?
| What it looks like | Does it come inside? | |
|---|---|---|
| Black house ant | Black, 2.5 to 3 mm | Yes: wall cavities, pot plants, under paths |
| White-footed house ant | Shiny black, light coloured feet you'd need a lens to see | Yes, along trails to food |
| Argentine ant | About 3 mm, light to dark brown, no smell when crushed | Yes, and quick to come back after treatment |
| Meat ant | 12 to 14 mm, red or purple and black | Rarely: big gravelly mounds in sunny spots |
| Sugar ant | 5 to 15 mm, orange brown band, black head | Rarely: nests in moist, decayed wood |
| Bull ant | About 20 mm, red body, black abdomen | Rarely: gardens and bushland |
Ants and the ACT Government
October to March
The ACT Government says ants are most active from October to March, which is when trails along the kitchen bench start.
Your block, your ants
Infestations on private land are the lease holder's responsibility, the ACT Government says, apart from ants that could be a biosecurity risk.
Meat ants in public places
Meat ants in a playground, at a barbecue or along a busy path on ACT Government land can be reported with the European Wasp, Ants or Bees Report form.
Fire ants go to ACT Biosecurity
Report suspected red imported fire ants to ACT Biosecurity, not a pest business. Fire ants were found at a Sydney logistics site in October 2026, so it's worth knowing what they look like.
Before you call anyone
You can
- Stand the pet food bowl in a shallow tray of water, a trick the ACT Government suggests.
- Wipe up crumbs, rinse drink cans and keep the bin lid shut.
- Deal with aphids and other sap-sucking insects on garden plants, which ants farm for honeydew.
- Watch where the trail goes in, and take a photo of a few ants for the technician.
Leave to a pest business
- Nests inside wall cavities or under paving near the house.
- Argentine ant trails that keep coming back.
- Bull ant or meat ant nests where children play.
Why Argentine ants come back
Victoria's Health department says Argentine ants can move back into a treated area from neighbouring land within two weeks. That's why a good technician looks along fence lines and next door's side of the trail, and why a follow-up visit is often part of the job.
If it were our house in Canberra
We'd stand the pet bowl in water and clear the crumbs for a week. If the trail keeps coming, or ants are pouring out of a wall, tap Spiders or ants. Bull ant nests are best left alone and fenced off from little feet.
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.
