What to do if bitten by a red fire ant

Red fire ants are small but strong animals. Once they attack, this group of animals can be very destructive. Not only can it cause redness and swelling, but in severe cases it can cause fainting and even shock, or even death due to lack of proper treatment. Although this animal only appears in Southeast Asia, we should still take relevant preventive measures.

The attack of red fire ants will only cause local redness and swelling accompanied by burning pain, followed by very itchy sterile pustules a few hours later, and the redness will take two to three weeks to recover. If the pus bubble is scratched, it can easily turn into cellulitis and sepsis. To treat fire ant bites, you can first apply ice to the bitten area and wash the bitten area with soap and water; generally, you can use steroid ointments or oral histamines to relieve the symptoms of itching and swelling.

1. Red fire ants are a type of fire ants. It is an agricultural and medicinal pest originating from South America. It was introduced to the United States in the 1930s, and spread from the United States to Australia, Taiwan, and Wuchuan County, Guangdong Province, China in 2001 and 2002 through containers and turf, and then spread to other cities in Guangdong Province and Hong Kong and Macau.

2. Once bitten by a red fire ant, it will cause a toxic reaction. In mild cases, the skin will itch and blister, and in severe cases, there will be severe allergic reactions, such as difficulty breathing or even shock. Doctors recommend that if the injury is minor, you can wash it yourself with soapy water in time and take anti-allergic drugs for treatment. If you feel unwell, you should seek medical treatment in time to avoid accidents.

3. Red fire ants are a kind of social insects. There are about 50,000 to 500,000 red fire ants in each mature ant nest. The body of a red fire ant consists of worker ants responsible for work, soldier ants responsible for defense and combat, and reproductive ants responsible for reproducing offspring.

How to deal with red fire ant bites

1. If you only feel general discomfort after being bitten by a red fire ant, you can soak the wound in hot water for about 15 minutes, wipe off the water from the wound, apply a little toothpaste, and apply a hemostatic patch.

2. The saliva of ants is acidic, so you can apply soapy water or 3%-10% ammonia water or 5%-10% sodium bicarbonate solution to neutralize it. This can reduce the toxicity of ant bites and prevent redness and swelling.

3. If you feel mild discomfort, you can apply a little floral water, wind oil or cooling oil.

4. If the bite wound becomes red, swollen or ulcerated, go to the hospital for treatment in time.