Do I Have Fireant Bites?
With nearly 300 different kinds of fireants around living in almost every part of the globe, there is a good chance that there is a fireant colony near you. Fireant bites can be extremely painful and though are venomous in nature, like a bee sting, people can develop a spontaneous allergy to the bite and this allergy is what is problematic, not the venom. Several fireant bites to someone who develops an allergic reaction can quickly become a medical emergency – you would know this because part of the allergic reaction to fireant bites makes it difficult to breathe.
4 Signs of a Fireant Bite
Here are some ways to tell if you have fireant bites:
1. Are there red fire ants near your home?
Up to 60% of people who live near red fireant colonies are bitten every year by at least one of them. These red ants, unlike other fireants, are invasive and seek out trouble. When they encounter a human, they are going to bite that human without question. If you happen to step on a colony or place your hand on one, you will likely receive multiple bites in just seconds. This will create pain instantly and you will have multiple red bite sites to treat.
2. Fireant bites swell up like an itchy mosquito bite.
The difference between a mosquito bite and a fireant bite is the level of inflammation that can be seen. You generally have to really scratch at a mosquito bite to make it become red, raised, and inflamed. Fireant bites will do this almost immediately and then stay this way over the period of a week or so.
3. Does your bite(s) look like a large pimple?
Your body sends white blood cells down to the bite site in order to combat the venom, whether you’re allergic to it or not. As the white blood cells work hard to defeat the venom, some of them eventually die because of the effort. When enough of these dead white blood cells get together, it creates a pustule, or what looks like a very large pimple. Scratch these pustules and you can create an infection that requires medical treatment. If you see these on your bite, don’t pop them – let them flatten on their own, and this will happen in a few days.
4. Are you experiencing severe chest pain, nausea, slurred speech, or unusual swelling?
These are all indications of a severe allergic reaction to the fireant bites you may have received. These often appear almost immediately after a bite occurs, but can sometimes occur after a passage of time from the initial bite. You will want to seek medical treatment if this is happening to you, which may include an Epipen protocol.
For many people, fireant bites are more of a nuisance than an emergency. The primary danger to fireant bites are the allergic reaction that some may develop to them. Over the counter remedies can often successfully treat the symptoms of these bites, while allergic reactions will often need to be seen by a medical professional.
