Fire ants are threatening the Aussie way of life for some families ...

Colleen Lavender has raised her kids to love the outdoors and every opportunity they have, they're on their bikes or going for a walk. 

That all changed when her 11-year-old daughter Lily was playing in a park a fortnight ago in the Scenic Rim town of Jimboomba, south of Brisbane, where they live.

Lily accidentally disturbed a fire ant nest, setting off an angry swarm of ants to attack her body. 

She was left with more than 50 red welts capped with angry white pustules along her arms.

Colleen Lavender rigorously treats fire ants on her Scenic Rim property. (ABC Gold Coast: Julia Andre)

"She had quite a bit of swelling up her arm, she felt like she was on fire and couldn't sit still, she was so teary," Ms Lavender said.

With fire ant nests in their backyard and along local roads and parks, the Lavenders have changed their active habits to avoid the invasive species. 

Ms Lavender is urging others to look out for fire ants on their property. (ABC Gold Coast: Julia Andre)

She's worried the continued spread of the ants could change the outdoors lifestyle Australians know and love. 

"We're careful what we do now, we don't walk around barefoot anymore like Aussie kids used to do," Ms Lavender said. 

What are fire ants and how did they get here?

Fire ants are an invasive species originally from South America. They have an aggressive temperament and a nasty sting.

They're 2 to 6 millimetres in length and are coppery-brown in colour.

The ants were first detected in Australia in Brisbane in 2001 and it's likely the pest arrived in shipping containers from the US.

Their nests are unique because they have no obvious entry or exit holes and look like dome-shaped mounds or patches of disturbed dirt.

Australia is the perfect environment for fire ants to inhabit – they have no natural predators here and 95 per cent of the country's climate is suitable for them.

They easily spread above and under ground, can fly up to 5 kilometres, and can even form rafts to float across water. 

Why are they such a threat?

Fire ants have wreaked havoc on crops in the US.(Supplied)

The ants eat animals and insects that nest on the ground, including lizards, frogs, and mammals.

The National Fire Ant Eradication Plan said the pest would have "a flow-on effect to the entire ecosystem with the potential to eliminate species".

Pets including dogs can be stung by fire ants, potentially causing an allergic reaction.(Supplied)

In the US, fire ants have had a huge impact on crops such as corn and potatoes.

There's concern the same issues could emerge in Australia, with more than 50 agricultural and horticultural crops at risk of being affected by infestations.

Do they bite? 

National allergy bodies told a Senate Inquiry into Red Imported Fire Ants that 174,000 people could develop severe allergic reactions to the insect's bite if it became endemic in Australia.

11-year-old Lily was attacked by a swarm of fire ants while she was playing in a park. (Supplied: Colleen Lavender)

One submission told the inquiry that anaphylaxis from fire ant stings was three times more common than bee stings.

The invasive species have been responsible for hundreds of deaths in the US since the 1990s. 

If the fire ants are left to spread across the country, economic modelling from the Australia Institute has indicated that it would cost the government more than $22 billion by the 2040s.

Ms Lavender's family no longer walks around barefoot outdoors.(ABC Gold Coast: Julia Andre)

How far have they spread?

Fire ants have been found just south of Ballina in New South Wales, west to Oakey, just north of Toowoomba in Queensland and north to Morayfield north of Brisbane.

In Queensland, Moreton Bay, Somerset, Lockyer Valley, Southern Downs, Scenic Rim and the Gold Coast are the focus of critical eradication work. 

Fire ants have been found across south-east Queensland and into northern NSW.(Supplied: National Fire Ant Eradication Plan)

There are two fire ant biosecurity zones that spread across parts of south-east Queensland.

If you live in either of these zones there are interstate and intrastate restrictions on how you can transport organic materials, due to the risk of further infestation.

What's being done about them?

The state and federal governments are spending an extra half a billion dollars on the National Fire Ant Eradication Plan to combat the ants' spread.

State and federal governments will invest $593 million into trying to eradicate the ants.(Supplied)

One key stage of the plan is surveillance – which includes having remote sensing technology mounted to helicopters to scan properties from the air for fire ant nests.

The images of landscapes are then analysed by artificial intelligence to pick up whether there are nests there. Field officers and odour detection dogs continue to survey targeted properties at regular intervals.

A baiting program is underway in northern NSW and treatment is available to use in Queensland. 

Is the treatment safe?

There are two types of bait available for treating fire ants in Australia – insect growth repellent and fast-acting insecticide.

The baits are made up of corn grit soaked in soybean oil and are designed so that ants collect it and bring it back to the colony for other ants to eat. It'll then kill worker ants, larvae and the queen ant, before breaking down quickly.

It's safe for humans and pets.

What do I do if I find fire ants on my property?

You can report an infestation to the National Fire Ant Eradication Program by calling 13 25 23 and it's recommended that you treat your property as soon as possible by purchasing fire ant bait from a local or online retailer.

If you're living in an infestation zone, it's recommended that you treat your property even if nests aren't visible.