N.S.W. Campaign Against Argentine Ant

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31248, 21 December 1966, Page 13

N.S.W. Campaign Against Argentine Ant

(Special Crspdt. N.Z.P.A.) SYDNEY, Dec. 20. What is an eighth of an inch long, light to deep brown in colour, can live comfortably in a hot-house or a refrigerator and is worth $10?

Ask any Sydney child, and he’ll tell you: “The Argentine ant.”

He’ll flash his “Trapper Tom” badge, tell you it’s one of the most dreaded creatures in the world, and run off, eyes glued to the ground, to look for some.

“Trapper Tom,” a longchinned young man wearing a tropical helmet, seems likely to join the ranks of Ned Kelly, Robin Hood and Mickey Mouse in Australian schoolage folklore as these Christmas holidays get under way. A campaign has been launched by the committee for the eradication of Argentine ants aimed at ridding Sydney of the dreaded ant. “Trapper Tom” is doffing his hat in television commercials, smiling out of full-page newspaper advertisements, giving away badges, and doing all he can to encourage the youngsters to spot the ant. Each new infestation, which was first discovered in Sydney in 1950, is worth $lO to the lucky spotter. No creature, including man, can live with the Argentine ant, which, by sheer power of numbers, can saturate any area with blanket infestation. The tiny ant can work its way into a glass jar with the top screwed tightly on, can live in a refrigerator, and has ho trouble getting past the seal on the door, can kill newly hatched chicks and eat anything. It is found in every major city in Australia, except Brisbane.

The new campaign, timed to begin at the start of the Christmas holidays and offering cash rewards for last minute present-buying, is believed to be the biggest insect offensive in which members of the public have been asked to play an active part.