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30 April 2004

Schools program another shot in fire ant war

The war against fire ants moves up another notch this month with a three month campaign targeting the families of children at 24 schools in the Ipswich, Beaudesert and Esk shires.

The Fire Ant Control Centre’s Community Engagement Unit will deliver ant sample kits to pupils in state and private schools, as part of the Engaging Schools Communities Project 2004.

The children will be asked to give the kits to their parents so that together they can check their yards for fire ants over the weekend.  The children will then be asked to return the ant samples to their school.

By enlisting the help of school pupils, the FACC aims to reach more than 5,400 families at the following schools:

School   Delivery Date of Ant Sample Kits
Glamorgan Vale State School 28/4/04
Marburg State School  28/4/04
Haigslea State School  28/4/04
Mount Marrow State School 28/4/04
Walloon State School  28/4/04
Rosewood State School 4/5/04
St Brigids Primary School 4/5/04
Warrill View State School 4/5/04
Harrisville State School  4/5/04
Peak Crossing State School 4/5/04
Mutdapilly State School 4/5/04
Blackstone State School 18/5/04
Dinmore State School  18/5/04
Blair State School  18/5/04
Brassall State School  18/5/04
Tivoli State School  18/5/04
Waterford State School 25/5/04
Boronia  Hts State School 25/5/04
Jimboomba State School 25/5/04
South Qld International College 25/5/04
Woodhill State School  25/5/04
Gleneagle State School  25/5/04
Beaudesert State School 25/5/04
St Mary’s School (Beaudesert) 25/5/04

A range of materials, including a parents’ letter and sampling instructions, will accompany the kits. Other materials, such as posters, display boards, laminated pictures, a display book, brochures, a map, a project overview, and a summary for school newsletters, will also be provided.      

Fire ant field officers will pick up the sampling kits from the schools about one week after delivery, and these will be delivered to the FACC’s Scientific Services unit to determine the type of ants sampled.


Further information:
Media Officer: Julia Austin. Ph: +61 7 3310 2911
Fire Ant Control Centre
Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries
PO Box 1241, Oxley, Qld 4075
DPI&F Call Centre 8am-6pm weekdays on local call 13 25 23