Fire ant bites are painful and irritating, and can even lead to severe health problems. People that experience one or two fire ant bites at a time can use things that can be found in their home to treat their condition. There are plenty of home remedies for fire ant bites that can be used to reduce the swelling and pain.
When you are bitten by a fire ant, what you need to do first is to wash the affected areas on your skin with a warm water soapy solution to eliminate the venom at the surface of the wound. After washing the bitten area, apply alcohol to disinfect the wound. After these, apply a pack of ice on the wound to reduce the swelling.
6 Home Remedies For Fire Ant Bites
Studies have proven that household cleaning agents can help reduce the itching and pain caused by fire ant bites. These include the following.
1. An Equal Mixture of Water and Bleach
2. A Thick Paste Made with Water and Baking Soda
3. Dishwashing Liquid
4. Vinegar
5. Ammonia
6. Hydrogen Peroxide
Home remedies for fire ant bites also include solutions made from food ingredients that can be found in your kitchen including a paste made from salt, a paste made from water and meat tenderizer, and a fresh slice of onion. Chemical based treatments for fire ant bites that can be found in your home include a paste made from crushed aspirin, arnica gel, aloe gel, and a small dab of hydrogen peroxide.
Some of these home remedies for fire ant bites such as ammonia must be applied as soon as you are bitten by fire ants. Use ammonia or hydrogen peroxide and water solution to wash the affected area as quickly as possible.
Apply a washcloth soaked in cold water or a pack of ice directly to the bitten area to reduce the inflammation. Make sure to take a break and apply a pack of ice with interval as too much ice can burn your skin. After the swelling goes away, apply the paste that you made on the bitten area. This can help reduce the redness and itching sensation of your skin.
Applying a paste made with vinegar and baking soda can also work. If you cannot get vinegar and baking soda solution at the time being, you can use hand sanitizer. Apply hand sanitizer on your skin after removing the ants that stung you. Let the hand sanitizer dry on your skin. This will reduce the burning sensation of fire ant bites, and symptoms will not arise for several hours.
ire Ant Bites and Venom
Fire ants or red ants are different than bees or wasps as they can sting and then release their venom in the body of their prey multiple times, which made them dangerous. The venom of fire ants contains allergic proteins that may cause severe problems to the individual’s allergies as their bite may lead to anaphylaxis. The venom of fire ants is also unique as it is protein-based, water soluble, and hemolytic causing the formation of a small white pustule where the sting occurred.
