Footage of fire ants 'rafting' after Queensland floods prompts ...

There are growing concerns that severe thunderstorms lashing Queensland could accelerate the spread of one of Australia's most damaging invasive species.

Key points:Footage of fire ants "rafting" in Queensland floodwaters has raised concerns about the spread of the invasive speciesFire ants join together to form a raft when they feel threatened, which allows them to be transported to new areasThe general manager of the national eradication program for the pest says it is unlikely fire ants could move into NSW via waterways

Fire ants were detected in New South Wales for the first time in December when five nests were discovered in Murwillumbah, close to the Queensland border.

The venomous super pest is aggressive and will attack humans when disturbed.

It also poses a potentially devastating threat to agriculture.

The Invasive Species Council now fears the wild weather in Queensland may be helping the pest spread.

The organisation shared a video on social media that showed ants forming a raft in floodwaters in south-east Queensland to "take advantage" of heavy rainfall and move into new areas.

"Ants rafting from place to place is a big concern for us," Reece Pianta from the Invasive Species Council said.

"The main way they are spreading in Australia at the moment is as stowaways in things like hay and soil and grass, moving from place to place.

"Add onto that wet weather helping their spread as well, and it is a crucial time."

What is rafting?

National Red Imported Fire Ant Eradication Program general manager Graeme Dudgeon said fire ants formed rafts when they felt threatened.

"The rafting spread normally happens when there is fairly high density of fire ant nests," he said.

Fire ants are forming rafts to survive flooding, and there are concerns this will hasten their spread interstate.(Supplied: Jack Gough, Invasive Species Council)

"If floodwaters are on an area for 24 hours or more, the fire ants may decide they are not going to survive.

"So they will take the queen, create a raft by linking their legs together and take to the floodwaters.

"And they just get moved with whatever the current is."

Unlikely to spread into NSW

Mr Dudgeon said the geography of the area meant it was unlikely ants floating on floodwaters in south-east Queensland would end up across the border. 

"We are not expecting that ... because the streams within south-east Queensland where there are fire ants, they essentially flow back into the area where the ants already are," he said.

"The rafting is not a spread vector for fire ants from south-east Queensland."

Fire ants pose risks to human safety as well as dozens of agricultural crops.(Supplied: National Fire Ant Eradication Program)

He said the relatively small infestation of fire ants in northern NSW meant any flooding in the area was unlikely to facilitate a significant spread.

"What could happen is that fire ants who have been moved by human-assisted movement, which is what we suspect the Murwillumbah detection is about, they may spread," Mr Dudgeon said.

"There is such a low density there, we have only found half a dozen nests in a very short strip of curving in a new industrial estate.

"There is a very, very low risk that any flooding around Murwillumbah would move any ants because it is highly unlikely there were ants there to be moved."

Meanwhile, the baiting program being deployed to eradicate the pest has been put on hold due to wet weather.