Can Fire Ants Kill You?
Fire ants are the common name for several species of ants in the genus Solenopsis. They often attack small animals and can sometimes kill them. Other species of ants may bite and then spray acid onto the wound, but fire ants bite to get a grip and then sting (from the abdomen), injecting a toxic alkaloid venom called solenopsin, a compound in the class of piperidines. For humans, this can be a very painful sting, and the aftereffects can be dangerous to sensitive individuals.
Fire ants can be distinguished from other ants by their copper-brown head and body with a darker abdomen. They are about 1.6 to 5 mm in size. Fire ants like warm, sunny environments and prefer dry areas. They generally avoid shady areas, such as woods. Controlling fire ants is often difficult, as their colonies can grow large enough to extend across many properties.
The symptoms of fire ant stings depend on the number of stings and the sensitivity of the person. Normally, a person bitten by fire ants will develop itchy bumps that appear like localized hives or single lumps at the sting sites. Later, in about an hour, these bumps may disappear, and tiny blisters may appear within 4 hours of the initial reaction. After 24 hours, blisters normally fill with a pus-like substance. When healed, the blistered lesions may leave scars in many cases. A few people who are sensitive may develop serious allergic reactions.
Therefore, fire ants can be very dangerous, and for humans, their stings are not only painful but the after effects can be deadly to sensitive individuals.
If fire ants are present in or around your home, you are advised to seek the services of a professional pest control company to eliminate them and prevent future invasions. Essen Pest Control is one such company, and you can contact them at 613-804-7378.
You may also like to read:
- Interesting Facts About Ants
- How to Keep Your Home Free of Ants?
- The Life Cycle of Ants
- Are Ants Dangerous?
- Good Things About Ants
- Types of Ants That Invades Your Home
- Causes of Ant Problems
- Facts About Carpenter Ants
- Rat Removal: Solving the Rat Problem
- Getting Rid of Wasp: Wasp Nest Removal
- How to keep your home pest free
- How to get rid of bed bugs
- How to get rid of cockroaches
- How to get rid of mites
- The most dangerous spiders found in Ottawa
- What are Carpenter Ants?
