Fire Ant Stings

The red imported fire ant is a nuisance from Florida to California and as far north as Oklahoma and Virginia, and its venomous stings can cause serious medical problems.

Headquartered in Bokeelia, Florida, Fire Ant Control, LLC is the best fire ant killer around. We (and our sister companies) serve the entire imported fire ant quarantine area of the southeastern U.S. and are capable of treating up to 1,000 acres per day.

Red Fire Ant Stings are Dangerous

Red imported fire ants sting to protect their colony from invaders and to capture prey. If the ground around their mounds is disturbed, hundreds of worker ants will swarm out of the nest and aggressively sting humans and animals standing nearby.

Fire ants can cause great pain when they sting. They attach to the skin with their jaws, pulling the skin, pinching it, raising it slightly, and forcing the stinger into the skin to inject an alkaloid venom. You may not notice the sting because it’s overshadowed by an intense burning sensation that earns these ants the popular name of “fire ant.”

Each fire ant will bite and sting repeatedly if not removed. If it stings often enough, the stings may show up in a small, circular pattern. Within several hours to one day, the stings typically swell into reddish, itchy bumps on the skin and eventually become white, pus-filled blisters. Sometimes a single sting on the forearm causes swelling of the entire arm.

The terrible pain will subside, but some people are allergic to the venom in the sting and may experience swelling, itching and redness. It’s also possible for anaphylactic shock to occur, requiring quick medical attention to prevent a deadly outcome. Much like a bee sting, a fire ant sting can be serious, even lethal.

Avoiding Fire Ant Stings

The best way to avoid medical emergencies associated with fire ants is to avoid being stung.

• Watch for fire ant mounds and be careful not to stand on or near them.
• Never disturb fire ant nests.
• Alert visitors, especially children, to areas on your property where fire ant mounds are present.
• When outside near fire ant nests, wear protective clothing. Wear boots or tuck pant legs into socks.
• Control fire ants in areas used frequently by people and pets.

Our Proven Solution

Outside of calling licensed pest management professionals like Fire Ant Control, there is no “best way” to kill destructive fire ants. The key to controlling them is to identify them quickly and take action to minimize the damage they cause.

Fire Ant Control, LLC is a recognized specialist in controlling red fire ants on any size or type of land. Unlike other topical treatments that can permanently damage your soil and grass, the granular bait we use goes straight to the source.

To eliminate a fire ant colony, the queen must be killed, and all queens must be killed in multi-queen colonies. If the queens are not killed, the colony will most likely establish itself in a nearby area.

With our proven treatment, worker ants will carry the bait granules into the depths of the colony to the queen, the sole reproducer of the colony. Once the queen has been sterilized, the ants die off naturally and no new ants are born. The entire colony will die off within weeks. Fire ants fly, however, and will eventually come back, so we recommend having your property treated three times a year to prevent further colonization.

Prevent fire ant stings by calling Fire Ant Control, LLC at (239) 312-8200 for a free estimate and to schedule your first treatment. Our services are fully licensed and insured.