What should I do about fire ant bites?

[kerry-is-my-prez]

Thank God I'm not alllergic to them (I think, anyways) but the bites are driving me crazy - very itchy.

[LibLabUK]

1. I've heard..

that those ammonia based pens work well at removing the itch from insect bites.. dunno if they work for fire-ants though as we don't have them here.

[redqueen]

2. Calamine, hydrocortizone, or benadryl

other than that, I dunno...

[LibLabUK]

4. hydrocortisone?

You jump straight in with the big guns huh?

[redqueen]

7. hehe yep!

IMO fire ant bites are that bad.

[amber dog democrat]

3. a couple of good beers....

or something stronger?
I don't know what their sting is based on but I am not sure - maybe isopropol alchohal topically applied will help. Don't now otherwise.
Mean little gaffers. One ant gives the signal and they all bite at once.
hate them.

[Misunderestimator]

5. Benadryl pen... and DO NOT pop the little blisters... they might scar.

[ihaveaquestion]

6. DO pop the blisters.

If you don't pop the blisters they hang on for weeks, itching and hardening into a mini lump of scar tissue. I have several dark scars from ones I didn't pop until someone told me about this. Pop them and spot them with antibiotic to prevent infection. They stop itching after a day or two.

I hate these little fu*kers! If nothing else, fire ants will drive me out of Florida! If all goes well, I'll be leaving in a year!

[Misunderestimator]

9. That's funny... I have heard the opposite... and the funniest part is

that I usually end up popping them anyway. As for them driving me out of Florida... that is one of the many reasons I plan to leave as soon as possible!

[LibLabUK]

10. Hmm

"Pop them and spot them with antibiotic to prevent infection. "

Do you live in the jungle?

A swipe with an antiseptic swab (do you have TCP in the US?) would be sufficient.. you don't need antibiotics until it's actually infected.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

13. No - I just live in Florida. We have a lot them around here.

Apparently some moron from Texas brought them in to the country and now they're all over the South.

[redqueen]

19. Nope, it was through Alabama

Some are even considered native.

[AngryAmish]

22. I forgot about TCP

The smell of my youth. That stuff stung but my mom swore by it. I probably had eight gallons of the stuff wiped on my body from age 1 to 18.

[ihaveaquestion]

23. Yes, you're right. Antiseptic, not antibiotic.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

8. If you get an allergic reaction - how long does it take for it to manifest

My parents are both allergic and they've both ended up in the emergency room with the bites. Their throats swelled up and they had heart pain and couldn't breathe.

I don't think that it's going to happen to me becasue it would have happened by now.

[LibLabUK]

12. minutes usually.

Anaphylactic reactions usually happen quickly.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

11. Should I pour ammonia on it - or water it down?

n/t

[LibLabUK]

14. Dilute it!!

Do not pour it on neat!!

[kerry-is-my-prez]

15. I took some benadyl - which means I'll be conked out for a while.

Damn little buggers....

[oneighty]

16. Apply

1. Apply a baking soda paste. Theoretically should neutralizes acid in venom?

2. Scream really loud. Ouch!

3. I do not have a clue.

Dr. 180

[Archae]

17. Move up here.

The little *&%$#@!!! can't live here in Wisconsin. :-)

[kerry-is-my-prez]

18. I just came from around there (Chicago). Winters are worse than fire ants

and hurricanes.

[Archae]

20. Wuss.

:evilgrin:

[Lisa]

21. a paste made up of meat tenderizer works for many stings

I don't know about fire ants (they make formic acid?). But it includes an enzyme which breaks down the active ingredient in bee and wasp venom, and it seems to help with mosquito bites too.