Fire Ant Bites – What Are They?
Fire ant bites are no fun. If you live in an area populated with fire ants, there’s a 40% chance you’ll get bit. When they bite, they have a burning sensation, hence the “fire” ant. They tend to crawl around on your skin for at least 10 seconds before they make their first sting. That can be a real problem because you could have lots of them crawling on you and you don’t know it until they all start biting at once! Alkaloid venom is injected into your skin via the fire ant’s stinger. They will continue to bite you, even after their venom sac is emptied. People React Differently The reaction to a fire ant sting is different for every person. In general, the bite is itchy, becomes inflamed, and is filled with a white pustule. It is best to not scratch them open, as this may cause infection or permanent scarring. They usually take a couple of weeks to completely disappear. And they may itch the whole time. Allergic Reactions If you happen to be amongst the 15% of people allergic to fire a
