Ant Bites
All of us must have been bitten by ants at some point of time. But the seriousness of ant bites depends on the type of ants. If you’ve had bites of ordinary ants then there is nothing to worry. Apart from a small welt and little itching, there’s not other threat to humans.
However, if the bites are from some dangerous ants then they can cause serious damage to humans. Some ants also damage property. One of the worst ant bites are by fire ants. These ants are notorious and very harmful.
They are call fire ants because the area where they bite starts to pain and burn profusely. They are very aggressive and attack instantly if at all their nest is disturbed. Apart from posing health threats to humans and animals, they also destroy farms, electrical system and land.
You can get fire ant bites even if you merely move around their nests as they are very sensitive to movement. That is why children often get bitten by fire ants when they are outdoors.
Symptoms of fire ant bites:
Many people are also allergic to ant bites. Such people should be very careful if bitten by fire ants and treat them immediately. Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction to fire ant stings are shortness or breath, sweating, paleness in skin color, anaphylactic shocks and swelling.
Treatment:
If you see severe symptoms due to fire ant bites then medical attention is quite necessary. To treat fire ant bites at home, you can pour ammonia over the site of the bite. Allow it to sit there for sometime and then wash it away with cold water. This eliminates the pain and the itching caused by the sting of fire ants.
Stings from fire ants are also prone to infections; therefore they should be treated immediately. You need to wash the site with water and antibacterial soap. Applying betadine is also helpful to disinfect the site.
Do not scratch, squeeze or pop the pustule that forms following an ant bite. This may increase the chances of scarring and push the infection deeper into the skin.
A victim who experiences allergic reactions to fire ant bites should immediately consult the doctor and take medical treatment. These allergic reactions if not treated timely may cause major health hazards or can even lead to death. Fire ant stings can be extremely fatal to diabetics.