澳大利亚发现新的火蚁巢穴，呼吁扩大联邦资金以防止广泛损害。 Australia finds new fire ant nest, urging expanded federal funding to prevent widespread damage.

澳大利亚正在加紧努力,在11月初在昆士兰-新南威尔士边境附近发现一个新巢穴之后,消除火灾蚂蚁。 Australia is intensifying efforts to eradicate fire ants after a new nest was found near the Queensland-NSW border in early November. 昆士兰州官员和市长正在敦促联邦政府将国家镇压计划延长到2027年以后, Queensland officials and mayors are urging the federal government to extend the national suppression program beyond 2027 and match the state’s $24 million investment. 火灾蚂蚁自2019年以来扩散到昆士兰、西澳大利亚和新南威尔士,造成痛苦的刺痛,并威胁农业、公共卫生和旅游业。 Fire ants, which cause painful stings and threaten agriculture, public health, and tourism, have spread to Queensland, Western Australia, and New South Wales since 2019. 仅在洛根就治疗了8,200多个巢穴,社区出于安全考虑避免户外活动。 Over 8,200 nests have been treated in Logan alone, with communities avoiding outdoor activities due to safety concerns. 专家警告说,到2040年代,不加控制的扩散可能耗资220亿美元,使十年内每年持续投资3亿美元更具成本效益。 Experts warn uncontrolled spread could cost $22 billion by the 2040s, making sustained annual investment of $300 million over ten years more cost-effective. 尽管一项价值5.928亿美元的联邦四年计划帮助遏制了这一蔓延,但官员们警告说,在镇压区,巢穴密度正在上升,这突出表明,如果不扩大行动范围,就有可能发生全国性的侵扰。 While a federal four-year plan worth $592.8 million has helped contain the spread, officials caution that nest densities are rising in suppression zones, highlighting the risk of nationwide infestation if action is not expanded.