Ant bites

Ants are insects that can cause people a lot of trouble. In total, about 60 thousand of their species live on our planet, but only some of them pose a danger to human life. An ant bite, in which it injects poisonous enzymes under the skin, can cause health problems. Therefore, you need to know what to do in such a situation.

Types of ants living in our latitudes

In the vast expanses of Russia are quite harmless species of ants:

• Domestic ants settle in residential buildings, their size is about 3 mm, the color is brown, they adapt well to the conditions of food and accommodation, they do not bite and are almost harmless.
• Forestliving in nature, up to 9 mm in size and reddish-brown color, erect structurally complex anthills and maintain a specific social hierarchy in their community.

The bite of a red ant will only cause trouble if a person has been bitten by many insects protecting its ant hill. In such a situation, allergy is possible, but there is no danger to life. Ants can also attack animals: for example, if they bit a dog, then the consequences will be similar to the effect on the human body.

Exotic species

In the world there are several dozen dangerous species of antsliving in the countries of Asia, Africa and America. Ant bites of these species are very painful and dangerous. Such insects include:

• Nomadic species, called Siafu, live in Africa and South America, move in whole colonies in search of food, ranked as the largest ants in the world. Outwardly, they look intimidating: with a body size of 1.5 cm, the insect's jaws grow larger than its head, and Siafu females reach 5 cm during the laying period. According to the testimonies of the victims, the ants bite very painfully, securing poisonous enzymes, which is why often Allergic effects occur, but no deaths have been reported.
• Bullet ant bites even more painfully, as his secret contains poneratoxin, considered one of the most poisonous in the world. According to the feelings of the victims, the bite of such a “bullet” causes severe pain, comparable to a gunshot wound. Another name for it is “24 hours” associated with the duration of a painful condition after a bite. The size of the biting insect reaches 1.5-3 cm (females are always larger), they live in South Africa.
  

  Interesting!

  Local residents use ant bites of this species during male initiation rites, after which bitten hands and feet can even be temporarily paralyzed or blackened.

• Bulldog - an ant of small size, but deadly, because of it, many people die every year in the Pacific islands. The danger is an acute allergic reaction to an ant bite, often leading to a shock state.
• Red fire ants, whose bites are considered the most poisonous in the world, originally inhabited the South American continent. However, due to the high adaptation, they, together with the ships, easily moved to Asia, Australia and North America, reaching the southern states of the USA.They are found in Asia and the Pacific islands. The bite of a red ant can be compared with a burn in terms of pain: the insect infects with poison solenopsin, which causes severe allergic consequences, up to the death of a person from anaphylactic shock.

Knowledge of such types of insects and methods of how to treat an ant bite is necessary for all travelers and tourists visiting exotic countries so that the long-awaited vacation does not end with a disease and a tragic outcome.

Ant bites and their consequences

With a normal bite, the ant compresses the human skin and bites with the jaw. There are some tropical species of ants that use a sting closer to the tail, they inject a toxic substance through it - such a bite is felt immediately in the form of severe pain and redness (see photo of an ant bite).

Many species of ants produce formic acid in special glands, which can be sprayed up to a distance of 30 cm; if it gets into the eyes of a person, a retinal burn is possible.

When a normal ant bites a person, then redness occurs in this place and mild itching, symptoms disappear within 8-24 hours. If there are a lot of bites, then there may be more serious consequences (what a bite of a large number of insects looks like - see photo):

• severe itching and burning in places of damage;
• general weakness, headache, vomiting;
• drop in blood pressure;
• cardiac abnormalities, tachycardia.

An allergy to bites in a person is manifested by the following symptoms:

• swelling of the limbs;
• manifestation of edema on the face and neck, difficulty breathing;
• inflammation and suppuration in places of bites, tightening on the skin (see photo of skin lesions from an ant bite).

Complications after bites

Dangerous and severe consequences of ant bites can occur in such diseases:

• Urticaria - skin rashes, turning into voluminous pink and red spots and blisters, merging into a single whole, burning sensation is felt, the skin itches, the body temperature rises. In such a situation, a visit to a doctor is mandatory.
• Quincke's edema - swelling of the mucous membranes and larynx, which can cause respiratory arrest: the process is rapid, therefore, urgent medical attention is required. Before the ambulance arrives, it is better to drip vasoconstrictor drops into the nose and take antihistamines.
• Anaphylactic shock - a rare and dangerous type of allergic reaction of the body with intolerance to any substance, can be caused by the action of formic acid or toxic toxins.

Important!

Symptoms of anaphylaxis: itching spreading throughout the body; a sharp drop in temperature, pallor and cold sweat; blue lips, shortness of breath, hoarse breathing, loss of consciousness is possible. If the help of doctors is late, then a fatal outcome is likely.

First Aid and Treatment

Treatment of ant bites is carried out depending on the symptoms manifested, the main rule is not to grind the bite, so as not to cause infection:

• for disinfection, the wound is washed with soap and water, then ice is laid for 10-15 minutes;
• for processing you can use alcohol solutions or vodka;
• to reduce itching and redness, the place of an ant bite can be rubbed with balm or ointments sold in a pharmacy: Gold Star, Advanten, Fenistil-gel, etc .;
• in case of an allergic reaction, it is urgent to drink an antihistamine: Fenistil, Suprastin, Loratadin, etc.

Traditional methods are also successfully used, recommending how to treat skin lesions, with the help of which the itching will subside:

• apply a slurry of soda with water or a vinegar compress with soda to the bite site;
• if you rub the vinegar, the burning sensation from the bite of ants subsides, you can also use lemon juice;
• the use of toothpaste, better than mint, which rubbed the affected area;
• if the place of the bite itches, then you can make a lotion of cold or frozen milk for 10 minutes;
• make a lotion with the addition of echinacea tincture, and you can also take it inside to reduce allergies.

In children, ant bites can often cause a stronger and more rapid reaction due to thinner skin. If an ant has bitten a child, then parents should carefully monitor it for at least a day to avoid unforeseen complications.

Useful Ant Bites

Medical research suggests that there is also a benefit from an ant bite, because their venom contains many biologically active substances that help treat some diseases: sciatica, injuries, varicose veins in the legs, joint arthrosis.