I Hate Fire Ants!

Yep, I could do without these too. We have them in our yard....and it is not fun to be out there hanging up clothes.

My oldest son gets bad reactions to them as well.

Yuk.

I treat our yard annually or we'd have them in it as well. But they're just everywhere. I really hate them.

ouchie... I hope you are feeling better soon.

My son would be right there with you! He was cleaning out our gutters today. The pine needles and crud had built up so bad we had trees and weeds growing in them. He was going along and digging out the crud when he felt a bit or a sting. He was surprised to realize he was being bitten by fire ants in our gutter! He rushed into the house as he and I both react badly when we have more than two bites on us. He grabbed the benadryl and thankfully kept the reaction to a minimum. He ended up with something like four bites on his hands and arms. Yep, he had gloves on but the little buggers get past those.

That looks scary.

Yeah, fire ants suck. (bite?)

A friend at work was actually bleeding from her bites. I hope you heal quickly!

Haven't seen any fire ants around here this year.

I hate them too - it's probably one of the few critters that I'm willing to drive to extinction - :)

I am not sure exactly what happened, since Florida has them everyewhere, but we do not have in our yard - any longer.
It surprises me, we do not spray or use any chemicals, but I had to make an exception for fire ants since we have little kids come over too and I am quite allergic to them too.

So since about two years now - we do not have fire ants anywhere on the property any more.

Yuk. I don't think we have them here, so you are welcome to move to Oregon. You'll get rain, too. ;-) You sound like my oldest daughter and mosquito bites. One 4th of July in Montana, she was wearing jeans that were tucked into her socks. She had on a hoodie sweatshirt cinched tight around her face. She was wearing a rag around her neck that had been soaked in 100% DEET. I had soaked sock tops (cut up several pair) in the same 100% DEEt and she was wearing them around both ankles and wrists. ONly flesh exposed was her hands and face. She went outside for five minutes and when she came back inside she had about 20 welts from bites. Where? In her flesh around her backside that was exposed when she bent over to light her firecrackers!

Those are nasty little S.O.B's. I've been bit by some ants before and those little b******s heads would break off and keep biting after I smashed the body. Hurt like heck let me tell ya....

Yeah, we had those bad boys in MD when I was growing up; also in the Susquehanna River valley (just over the MD - PA line in PA) where we had a Summer place. Camping was always a lot of fun. There don't seem to be any here in RI, or at least here on Aquidneck Island. But I have vivid memories of being bitten. Ouch!

Oh noooooo, Marianne.....ouch! Hope the swelling goes down soon and you recuperate quickly. That has got to be uncomfortable.

All I can say is remeber every living thing has a purpose. Course not to leave u scares but have u found out what drew them?

Ouch! Glad we don't have those around here. They probably don't like the subzero winters. Hope you're better soon!

ahh that really really sucks ! sounds like they would hurt real bad ! hope that the bites go away soon ! thank goodness they aren't in pennsylvania !

Fire ants suck! We didn't have them in Oregon either. When I moved to Texas I unfortunately learned what they were.

I hope they heal quickly

I'm so glad we don't have them here in NY. They sounds terrible.

I discovered them last year when i was visiting my friend in Joplin Missouri! I was sitting on a bench by her pool, there was loads of them everywhere! I got bit on my foot and within a couple of hours my foot had swelled to twice its size! Nasty little critters! We dont get them in the UK! I hope you heal quickly!

When I'm down in FL, I am always watching for those things. I see them and I step on them! I hate them so much.

I hope I don't have an encounter with then when I go to NC on Friday!

I hope you feel better. That is just awful.

I had an encounter when I was 16. stood right on there hill and did not know it. I ended up in the E R that day

Oh I hate those things. The bites are so painful. Sorry they got you.

Oh I hate them too! I am fortunate that I don't get the puss filled bites though. But my husband does & they look like little pimples.

I have never encountered a fire ant and I never want to.....it sounds terrible!

Benadryll has a spray and creme. That will help the allergic reaction you have. I have to have it around as my daughter is allergic to bug bites. Red ants are nasty.

I have problems where I feel like I am stung and sometimes it isn't my medical problems, I am being stung. One has to be so careful outside in the south. They tend to make large mounds.

Hope you feel better soon!

Ouch!! I'd never heard of fireants until we moved to Texas. One thing I love about Colorado is very few nasty bugs! Take care of yourself!

OMG I sure hope you are better from those bites, -- fire ants are the one thing that really mess me up if I get bitten by them. Approximately 20 years ago I got 18 bites on my right foot, - I could not walk for two days and had to go to the doctor for shots, --- I say they are the reincarnate of the devil!!! LOL

I never seen fire ants up here in Pa.

I guess there's one good thing about cold northern winters - I assume it keeps the fire ants to our south. I hope I never encounter any.

The red variety are not usually seen North of Virginia. They like it hot.

Phyllis, the bites are still swollen and itching. One just outright hurts due to the large area of swelling. The other thing I hate is that the bites last and flair up for nearly 30 days.

We have Fire Ants in Texas too. You cant get rid of them just move them to your neighbors yard. Putting egg shells crumbled up as fine as possible the workers will take them to the Queen to eat and it kills her. Should be the end of that colony.

Risa, I hate to tell you, but they are in NC too. In fact, that is where I first became acquainted with them! Now I am in Texas and deal with them constantly.

Hope it heals up quickly for you Marianne. I haven't seen any yet but did stand on a mound in Florida once and I know what you mean. I thought my foot was being attacked by bees and fire until I looked down! No one ever warned me about them until after I was attacked.

I hate them too and every time I go visit my mom I get bit by them!!!
I have never seen any here in CT but they might have them not sure. I know in SC they are EVERYWHERE!

Awe, that's horrible!

I have to have an epi pen because of the damn things.
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Find their mound outside and feed them dry grits. they eat it up and when it rains the grits expand and they "blow-up"; it works!!!

Amy I may have to consider an epi pen prescription. I really don't react well to their bites and was running a mild fever last night as a result.

I have never reacted well to any type of insect bite, but bees are still by far the worst. I'd say fire ants and chiggars are a close second.

Ouch. Hope that you "recover" soon.

Just came back to see how the 'bites' are doing.....hope they are calming down!!!

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When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest.

Phyllis, they're still large welts but the benadryl cream took down the swelling on the bad ones. Like I said, I'll have these for about a month.

I don't think I've ever been bitten by a fire ant... I'm sure it's not fun.

OMG.. they got me the day before I left for vacation, too! I have welts all over my right arm and leg.. and on the top of my feet..grrrr.. it looks terrible! I put some Benadryl on them, and that seemed to help some.. but they're still very much there.. I was NOT happy. Hope yours get better soon! :O)

Get Hydrocortisone cream for healing.
Dont scratch least you get infatigo, which festers and is contagious.

I have a horrible fire ant story. One year while we were camping, a friend took a big bite of her chips and salsa and soon discovered that fire ants had gotten into the salsa. Within a matter of minutes, her lips were swollen. I tongue was swelling so fast. I broke up a Benedryl capsule and spread it over her tongue which actually helped. She spend the night in the hospital but didn't have any lasting scars. I don't think she's had any salsa since that day, though...

We had a couple nests of them here. We had to buy special spray to get rid of them, nothing else would work.

I just read Amanda's comment. That would SUCK!!!

I hate those things! I live in Texas and we have them everywhere! One year we had a hurricane coming so my friend turned her trampoline over. A few weeks later she asked me to help her flip it back upright. I guess the fire ants were working on building a mound on it or under it or something because when we flipped it over the ants got all over me. They were in my hair and down my shirt and I had so many ant bites that I got sick! It was so nasty!

Ouch I know they hurt.
Panama was full of them along with Cutter Ants. They wiped out my garden in two hours once.
I only have one good knee. Maybe I better rethink this. JK

ugh! i hate them too! they are bad here in SC!

Luckily they don't have them by us!

Wow Marianne, I didn't know they had traveled as far north as where you're at....I hear their bites can be really bad...you best take good care in making sure they din't festure(sp?) up too bad...

I'm in the South Randee. They're all over Georgia.

get better soon. get hydrocortisone cream and benadryl capsules

and a big can of bug spray

Those fire ants are hasty alright! Hope they heal up soon!

That's awful, Marianne. We don't have them in WI and although I know about them they have never been on my radar screen while traveling in warmer states. I need to pay attention- they sound nasty!

They have been in Florida for as long as I have been here. My sister is also allergic to them, so she gets big welts too.

one of the only things i dont miss about living down south

Oh no. Those critters are a royal pain.

Yes they do suck! Along with those stupid ants that raid your kitchen and pantry! I've had to clean out what seems like millions of those stupid things the last few weeks. They even got into an unopened bag of brown sugar!

I don't like them either!

aren't you north of Atlanta though....I didn't know they were all over the state, just the southern-most areas....

you guys need a really good winter, that'll drive them away...hahaha

They're all over the Southeast and as far North as Virginia, Randee.

Those are bad, bad boogers. When my in-laws came to visit us in Savannah years ago, they brought their little rat terrier. He got into a nest of them and it almost killed him. They were a terrible "surprise" to us when we moved to Georgia.

Awful buggers!

I use some kind of stuff that comes in a bag. I forget what it's called without going out to the garage to look, but one treatment lasts for the season. We just had nest in the mailbox area that got aggrivated when it was replaced. Now that I think about it, that may be where all my bites came from. I sprinkled some of these pellets in that bed and the ants were gone the next day.

Thankfully we dont have those here but we have plenty of bees and wasps. Do you want them too? :)

I hope you are much better by now. Sounds painful. I know a couple of people (one is my grandson) who are allergic to mosquito bites. That sucks living in Michigan because we have lots of mosquitoes.
Thankfully, we don't have fire ants here. An heralist told me a plant that kills or repels them..............hmmmm.........I'll have to think about it.

Oh, yuck, Marianne! I had no idea they made it that far north! I hope your legs heal up quickly! We get attacked by those rotten things all the time here in Texas!!! I have scars on my legs from them as well. Who invented them, anyway? ;-D

They're just itchy scabs now. The bites really take a long time to completely disappear. I'm seriously going to get an epi pen prescription on file. I don't know why I haven't done that until now with the way I react.

We don't have them in Iowa, thankfully. They sound horrible!

thankfully i am too far north for fire ants

Ouch. I don't think I've ever been bitten by one before. I hope you are feeling better soon, though.

This sounds painful! I'm sorry you had to experience this.

Just be glad you don't have the mounds in your yard. We use Over and Out one time application. Works really well against fire ants.

Marianne,
That is just awful...I hope you heal up without any scares.
For me the big black ants bite ,and bees which I am allergice to ..so
I know how you feel its not a happy sighter either.
Maybe you ll have to put rubber bands around your ankles to hold your pants closed and around your wrists that might help a little bit.
Sorry to hear about it. I wonder if there is something that you could spray on your self before you go out there.

I discovered something that helps with all the bites and stings that I get. I'm not suggesting it as medical advice, but I'll share what I do anyway. (It's always wise to check with a doctor, of course.) You might be able to try it on one or two spots next time, as a test area. I keep a small container of household bleach and cotton swabs handy, and when I'm bitten or stung (by anything) I soak a cotton ball with the bleach and swab the area (at the site of the bite or sting and a wide area around it). The initial pain and itch is quickly eased, but will return, at which time I swab the area again. For me, and others who've decided to try this, the discomfort is much eased and the site heals much quicker. --- Of course, I have to be careful using this, as it can ruin clothing.

I am allergic to bee and wasp stings, and an ant or spider bite can leave a scar for, sometimes, months. I don't know what's in the bleach that helps, but I swear by it. The mosquitos absolutely love me and even when I stay covered and sprayed with bug-off type sprays they still feast on me. I'd be in a lot of misery if I hadn't stumbled onto this home remedy. --- I found out about it by someone who had received multiple scorpion stings late one night, couldn't get to immediate medical help and used it. I don't know where she had heard about it.

I have seen fire ants but they have never bitten me. I hope you bites heal.

Me too. Ouch!

I got bitten by some when we were in Puerto Rico in April. Luckily it was just on my foot but man did it itch!! It was days before it stopped itching. Hope your bites are gone by now.

I have stories about my encounters with fire ants....I have noticed that they bite all at the same time...they get on you then it's like the leader says...NOW

Wow, those have really swollen up! That is scary!

ewww you poor thing... i hope you didn't have any dates lined up for this week...
so sorry...

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OUCH!! Sure hope that your bites are just a faded memory now Marianne. Sorry I didn't get here sooner.

Yuck, I hate those guys too! Unfortunately, as long as you're in the South you'll have the occasional run-in with them!

Well those bites were on their way out, but I got 7 more bites while caching yesterday :-( I just tried the bleach thing when I got out of the shower today. They don't itch right now, but I sure hope it helps with the swelling. The ones behind my knee are huge!

I was just thinking of you today, and this experience, so came back to check on you. It does require reapplication when it starts burning/itching again. Right now my ankles and lower legs are riddled with mosquito bites, and I think one spider bite. The mosquito bites are mostly healed now, but the spider bite always takes a little longer.

I'll be interested in hearing if you think the swelling went down quicker than usual, and if they heal quicker.

The bleach definitely helps with the itch for about 6 hours or so. They're still really swollen as of now though. God I hate these things!

You have my sympathies! I had a pretty severe reaction to them years ago, and have been lucky enough to avoid them since moving to Florida 27 months ago, but was bitten by one on Friday afternoon, on the top of my foot. I immediately washed it and put Benadryl spray on it and though it swelled up and hurt like a.... well, let's just say it hurt like crazy... all that remains now is a tiny blister and no pain or itching or swelling. I am counting my blessings, and vowing to keep the Benadryl spray handy.

OUCHIE!! I am lucky to have never run across them!

Bugs are ucky..I'm such a girl!

Tanya, the verdict is in. Bleach works great on the itch factor for the first 24-48 hours, but doesn nothing to reduce the swelling. I began using benedryl on day 3 and now have several scabs and little itch.

Fire ants sure are a pain. Hope you're feeling better now.

..
U wishing you laughter

Thanks for the update. Too bad about it not helping with the swelling, too. Would have been nice, huh? Was it the Benedryl spray that you used, that Julie mentioned? I didn't know they put out a spray and her comment caught my eye.