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How to Provide First Aid for Fire Ant Stings

Fire ants are aggressive biting ants that often leave multiple stings on a victim. When someone is attacked by fire ants, it is often by a large number of them. Each fire ant will sting repeatedly, so you can see why first aid is vital after an attack. The dangers from fire ant stings are allergic reactions and infection. Except in situations where someone has diabetes, or any susceptibility to allergic reactions, most fire ant stings can be treated with these simple first aid measures.

Things You'll Need

Soap
Water
Ice
Allergy medicine
Antibacterial cream
Doctor (in extreme cases)

Instructions

- 1
  Remove yourself from the area before trying to treat the stings. Many people think they are far enough away from the fire ants before they actually are. These are aggressive ants. Go far enough away, and then go a little more.
- 2
  Locate the sting sites. Stings release histamine which produce pain, swelling and itching sensations. These sting sites will turn red, and form blisters after several hours.
- 3
  Clean the sting sites with soap and water. Be very thorough, and wash every sting site. Infection is often the major complication with fire ant stings, and cleaning the sting sites will help with this problem.
- 4
  Leave the blisters intact as they form. The sting sites will eventually turn to blisters, and pop. Do not pop the blisters as you clean the sting sites.
- 5
  Apply ice to the sting sites. The ice will help with the pain, itching and swelling.
- 6
  Try to keep the sting sites above heart level. Elevating the sting sites helps with the swelling and pain.
- 7
  Treat the sting sites with antibacterial creams. This will help to control the infection. Also, Benadryl can help in much the same way as it does for bee stings.

Insects & Science