Fire Ants!

Ouch! When a fire ant bites you, you know it — and, with good reason. Fire ants are directly related to bees and wasps; they’re just wingless. So, what’s the best thing to do when bitten?

Dr. Jay Taylor, a Palmetto Health Emergency Medicine physician, recommends immediately applying a cold or cool compress to the affected area together with taking over the counter antihistamines like Benadryl or Claritin. “When a fire ant stings, the injected toxin causes your body to release histamine at the area of the bite. Histamines are responsible for the itching and burning that you experience and these medications can help to ease that.”

Fire ants, native to South America, are reported to have first entered the United States via a freighter docked in Mobile, Alabama sometime in 1930. They’ve been making unwelcome inroads by steadily progressing east, west and north. They are so abundant in the southeast that one-half of the population is bitten at least once each year. Unless immediately brushed off, fire ants bite gripping the skin with their jaws and injecting a toxin through an abdominal stinger. They can sting multiple times at the same site.

“When fire ants bite,” says Taylor, “they emit a toxin that causes a fiery burn – hence the name. The white pustules that usually form after a sting are normal, and are usually not infected. However, it’s important not to scratch them. Scratching can break the skin and increase the chance of infection resulting in the need to take an antibiotic. Itching normally lasts about 72 hours. Hydrocortisone creams and Benadryl may help to ease the itching.”

Taylor says it’s rare to have a bad reaction, even in children, but those people who do also are frequently allergic to bee and wasp stings or they may have had numerous fire ant bites. “Children should be watched for allergic reactions and given Benadryl and Motrin to keep them comfortable,” he says.

So, what can you do to avoid fire ants? Taylor recommends the following:

• When outside, wear shoes rather than sandals.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
• Avoid wearing colognes or other scented products.
• Be watchful around garbage cans and electrical outlets, both common places in which to find fire ants.