Forget the massive destruction caused by cane toads, rabbits, feral cats, wild horses and pigs. Tiny red ants moving out of south-east Queensland will become Australia's worst invasive pest if the marauding colonies are not eradicated, a report has warned.

According to the strategy paper prepared for government about the pests, if the vicious biting red fire ants infest the whole country, one in three Australians, or 8.3 million people, would be painfully stung every year, with 83,100 victims needing medical attention.

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Those numbers, the paper warned, are a "conservative" estimate. 

The ants have an intense bite which can kill small animals and cause a deadly anaphylactic reactions in some humans.

They also devastate crops and ecosystems, and colonies will travel serious distances every year if left unchecked.

Described as super pests, the ant originates in South America but has spread globally. It has no native predator in Australia.

First detected in south-east Queensland around 2001, after a suspected arrival at the Port of Brisbane, a two-decade effort to contain the ants appears on the brink of failure.

Are you affected? Do you know more? Email ms**********@******om.au