Fire ants in your pants?
Everybody knows that when it comes to fire ants, modesty and decorum are no longer in effect. Fire ants in your pants? Drop ‘em and get those ants off. Anytime, anywhere, with anybody around. I can honestly say that in over 17 years of fire ant research, I have only had to do it once. Naturally, it was in the presence of a professor and technician from another university that we had met only that morning, both female of course. And it wasn’t actually fire ants that ... um ... inspired me. It was the patch of prickly pear cactus I tripped in while setting up a fire ant test.
So, what do you do when you find yourself or a companion covered with ants? I can tell you what NOT to do. When my daughter was about 2 years old, she stood in a barely visible mound in our yard as she watched her mother water the shrubs. When she screamed, her mother turned the hose on her tiny leg. The result was 42 little pustules the next day, all of them in pairs. The water had served only to dislodge the ants’ stingers, not their mandible grip, and point them downstream. When the water stopped, they stung again.
I wouldn’t suggest slapping at them, either. You only hit a small area, probably don’t kill the ones you do hit and make the rest even more agitated. Jumping, flailing or other such acrobatics will only give them a thrill ride and your friends a better laugh. I have found that a brisk (trust me, it won’t be anything but brisk) wiping motion will serve to both remove the ants and kill or injure them. Do, indeed, strip off clothes and check for ants on both the body and clothing. They can hide in seams and creases to sting hours later.
If there are more than a few stings, keep an eye on the victim for allergic reactions such as excessive swelling and redness away from the sting area, labored breathing, slurred speech, disorientation or other signs of shock. Pay particular attention to children, the elderly and people who have never been stung by fire ants before or who are known to be allergic to other types of stings such as bees or wasps. These kinds of reactions can be life-threatening, so immediate medical attention is critical.
For typical reactions, topical itch and burn products give some relief, but don’t expect miracles. The burning will go away within a few hours. Pustules that form the next day will itch and it’s almost impossible to keep from scratching them open, particularly for children. Adhesive bandages and antibiotic ointments can protect from secondary infections and more scratching.
One final thing. Any fool can avoid standing in a foot-tall fire ant mound. It’s the little ones that you can’t feel underfoot that will get you. These are also the ones you’ll probably miss when trying to treat individual mounds. Use a broadcast fire ant control product to cover the entire area. They’re faster, easier, probably less expensive and almost always more effective than treating mounds.
Charles L. Barr, PhD
Barr Research and Consulting
