Fire Ants, please advise

[PennyM]

It's all this rain we've had. It's flattened their nests to where I don't see them and I get bitten when I take the dogs out, my feet have bites all over! It's also driven the small black ants into the house! I use hydrocortisone cream and Neosporin on the open blisters. Sarna might help too (it helped the itching when I had poison ivy). I hope you feel better soon.

 

[GrannyHeeney]

It's all this rain we've had. It's flattened their nests to where I don't see them and I get bitten when I take the dogs out, my feet have bites all over! It's also driven the small black ants into the house! I use hydrocortisone cream and Neosporin on the open blisters. Sarna might help too (it helped the itching when I had poison ivy). I hope you feel better soon.

Yay, a neighbor! LOL Thank you very much. I was just notified that there's poison oak pretty much all around my coop (it's backed up to the woods). 3 months of being in and around and all over that, I am lucky that I (apparently) don't react to it. :-o

 

[BreanneRN]

Ohhh... I am so sorry for you... You might try Benadryl anti-itch cream, it is a topical, for the rash/hives, and take some kind of anti histamine orally on top of it, there are a lot of them on the market, some new, some old, if you have used one in the past that worked for you, you might use that one. For the nausea you might try a mast cell stabilizer nasal spray. There is only one on the market OTC. It is sold for sinus issues, but works in other areas that it comes in contact with... Be very careful to avoid the ants in the future, you avoided full on anaphyllactic reaction, but this bout could cause you to be more sensitive to a future attack, even if in the distant future. Oh, and ants hate urine... Old farmer trick to go around and pee on all the ant hills. (I know, sounds strange, but old time methods worked and were cheap and harmless to humans and pets). Put men in the family to work and you may be able to push those ant nests outward away from your yard and buildings.

 

[GrannyHeeney]

I just almost inhaled a can of Pepsi when I got the visual of asking the fellers to pee on the ant hills. In reality, tho, they're both ornery enough to give it a shot. ROFL

 

[BreanneRN]

Tell them to start close in around the house and work their way outward..... (they have really great emoticons here, don't they!!!

 

[PennyM]

Yay, a neighbor! LOL Thank you very much. I was just notified that there's poison oak pretty much all around my coop (it's backed up to the woods). 3 months of being in and around and all over that, I am lucky that I (apparently) don't react to it. :-o

Hi neighbor!

 

[Likeychicky]

Shower real good and apply cortisone cream. My husband is allergic to fire ants, I had him do the above and gave him a Benadryl.

 

[RWise]

I myself think peeing on them will not run them off,,, easy enuf to try, BBQ and some beers,,,
It may not be legal but I use gasoline, poor it down their home nest then cover it so the fumes do not get away fast. (do not burn it)

 

[flagirl]

a drop of straight lavender works to remove itch and heal(works on blemishes also) this time of year with all the rain, rubber boots-they don't seem to be able to climb up them!

 

[BreanneRN]

I myself think peeing on them will not run them off,,, easy enuf to try, BBQ and some beers,,,
It may not be legal but I use gasoline, poor it down their home nest then cover it so the fumes do not get away fast. (do not burn it)

The reason urine works is because in a very short time it becomes ammonia. It runs down into the underground nesting area of the ants and creates poisonous ammonia fumes which kind of disrupts those little fellows lives. I myself would not want to be contaminating my soil and areas around my houses and outbuildings with flammable petroleum products especially if you have a water well, but everyone is free to do what they want (just don't let your homeowners insurance people find out). Gasoline costs money, urine is free and ammonia is cheap.