Ants are one of the most common pests you will ever find anywhere in the world. They love to go inside houses because that’s where they can find food. They may seem harmless because of their tiny physique and will just go about their day going looking for food.
They won’t hurt you for no reason and will only bite if they feel threatened to protect themselves. So what if ants bit you? Is it something that you should be scared of? Today, we will talk about everything you need to know about ant bites.
Only female ants can bite or sting
Female ants have stingers, while male ants lack them. That’s why they are the only ones that can bite or sting you. So the next time you get bitten by ants, your suspects would be the female ants.
Some bites feel like burning
Some ant bites are not painful at all. You may not notice them or would feel like a prick of a needle.
However, there are ant bites that can be extremely painful. These painful bites are common with fire ants because they have venom or a formic acid, a type of chemical. They would inject this venom or formic acid onto your skin; thus, you will feel excruciating pain.
Cause allergic reactions in some
As mentioned, some ants have venom or chemical acid. When ants inject this onto your skin, and you are allergic to it, chances are, you will experience an allergic reaction. You may experience hives and swelling, and itchiness around the infected area.
In severe cases, you may even have abdominal pain, experience tightness in your chest area, and find it hard to breathe. If symptoms like these persist, it is better to get medical help and hire an ant exterminator immediately.
Can become infected
The ant bite can also get infected if treated improperly. Your ant bite can turn into an ant bite blister, and if you itch them, it will break open and get infected. Once it gets infected, the ant bite may develop into a white pustule or red bumps.
The infected area will continue to swell or grow once it is infected. Therefore, do not scratch or itch the ant bite. Instead, take oral medication for allergy or apply medicated lotion or cream onto the infected area to alleviate the itchiness.
Cold Compress and Toothpaste are your friends
When we get bitten by ants, it is common for us to experience itchiness.
But as mentioned above, itching the ant bite will only lead to infection. Besides drinking allergy medications or medicated creams, you can also try applying a cold compress on the ant bite for 20 minutes. Then, remove the cold compress for 20 minutes and repeat the process.
You may also apply toothpaste instead of the medicated cream to reduce the itchiness. Toothpaste contains menthol which has anti-inflammatory properties and gives a menthol effect that helps reduce the itchiness in the ant bite.
Don’t want to get bitten?
Most of the time, ants are harmless. However, certain ant species will bite you and will leave a painful experience. That’s why it is best to get rid of them before they can even bite you. You can start by removing what attracts them the most – food.
Ants will forage your house, and they will do anything just to get access to your food. Therefore, make sure that you will not leave leftover foods lying around or dirty dishes on the sink, and store your food in an airtight container.
Additionally, call for pest control in Saltlake immediately once you see many ants inside your property.