Yellow crazy ant eradication plan puts paws in the paddock as Far North Queensland fight ramps up

Yellow crazy ants can form huge super-colonies because of their lack of aggression towards each other. (Supplied: Wet Tropics Management Authority)

In the air and on the ground, authorities are waging a war against one of the world's most invasive ant species in Far North Queensland.

Yellow crazy ants — first discovered in Australia in the 1980s — spray formic acid when aggravated.

Since their discovery, the species has set up strongholds in pockets across the country but particularly in Queensland's far north.

"One ant on its own can't do a lot of damage, but when you get into the millions they really start to impact on local wildlife," said Gareth Humphreys from the Wet Tropics Management Authority (WTMA).

"They will out-compete other ants in an ecosystem for both food sources and habitat and slowly but surely take over until there are no other ants in the area.

When swarming in numbers, yellow crazy ants are able to incapacitate insects, birds and mammals much larger than themselves. (Supplied: Wet Tropics Management Authority)

Tackling issue with Fury

Approaching the halfway mark of a 10-year eradication plan in the far north, WTMA has killed off about 85 per cent of the known infestations through aerial baiting and boots-on-the-ground treatment.

The ants that remain, however, pose a real problem.

With the help of a four-legged friend named Fury, WTMA is sniffing out small populations of survivors.

Yellow crazy ant detection dog Fury is able to locate small populations of the invasive pests by sniffing out their pheromones. (ABC Far North: Mark Rigby)

"With lured and visual surveys that ground staff undertake … we typically detect approximately 30 per cent of the ants in an area," Mr Humphreys said.

"It's entirely possible for us to miss them and we have to do multiple surveys to be sure we've eradicated the ants.

Fighting in the cane

"Trying to eradicate something that you can't see and balancing that with waiting until you can see it and treating it optimally at the right time, that's a real challenge," James Cook University invasive species researcher Lori Lach said.

Dr Lach said far north Queensland's war against yellow crazy ants will be "won or lost in the cane".

"That is where most of them are being moved around right now," she said.

A helicopter slings a bucket over cane fields, distributing poisoned baits as part of the yellow crazy ant eradication program. (Supplied: Wet Tropics Management Authority)

"And that is where almost all of the new infestations are being found."

Dr Lach said consistent funding, even beyond the 10-year eradication plan, was key to eradicating the ants from the Wet Tropics.

"When there are gaps in funding, treatment is delayed and that gives ants a leg-up."