The Bite Behind the Buzz: Why Do Ants Attack You?

Ants attack to defend their nest, their food or themselves. A colony has workers whose job is to protect the queen and the nest, so when you step on a mound, sit beside one or put your hand on a trail, they treat you as a predator and swarm. A single ant you pick up may bite simply to get free. Most of the ants in Oklahoma homes are harmless to people. The ones that hurt are the stinging ants, mainly red imported fire ants and harvester ants, and for anyone allergic to the venom, their stings can be dangerous.

Stung and feeling unwell? Call 911 right away for trouble breathing, chest pain, swelling of the face, lips or throat, faintness or slurred speech. Poison Help is free at 1-800-222-1222. This article is general information, not medical advice.

Bite or sting: what is the difference?

Every ant has jaws (mandibles), so technically any ant can bite. Most species only bite as a last resort, and the bite of a small house ant is barely noticeable. Some ants also have a stinger at the tip of the abdomen, like their relatives the bees and wasps, and inject venom. That is where the real pain comes from. Fire ants do both: they grip the skin with their jaws and then sting.

Why and when ants attack

• You disturbed the nest. This is the big one. Mowing over a mound, stepping on it, sitting on it or digging in the garden brings out the defenders.
• You are in their food. Ants defend a food source too, which is how people get stung reaching into a pet bowl or a picnic spread outside.
• You trapped an ant. An ant pinched in a shoe, a sleeve or your fingers will bite to get loose.

Away from the nest, most ants avoid a fight and run. Their job is to protect the colony, not to win a battle with something a thousand times their size. Ants also fight other ants over territory and food, and many species hunt other insects.

Which Oklahoma ants bite or sting?

What a fire ant sting does

Oklahoma State University describes the attack: a fire ant grips the skin with its jaws, arches its back and drives in its stinger, then pivots and typically stings seven or eight times in a circle. The venom causes an immediate burning pain, which is how the ant got its name. Because a disturbed mound sends out many ants at once, people usually get stung many times.

• Right away: burning pain, itching and red bumps or welts.
• Within a day or two: the bumps turn into small white, fluid-filled pustules. They are sterile while intact. Scratching them open can lead to infection and scarring, and OSU notes they can take a week or more to heal.
• Large local reactions: some people get swelling that spreads across a whole hand, foot or limb.
• Allergic reactions: in people who are hypersensitive to the venom, even a single sting can cause a serious reaction.

Harvester ant stings are also very painful, and the same first aid and warning signs apply.

First aid for fire ant stings

1. Get away from the mound and brush the ants off quickly with a gloved hand, cloth or fast repeated strokes. They hang on with their jaws. Texas A&M AgriLife advises against shaking them off or rinsing them with water, which makes them grip and sting more.
2. Remove shoes, socks and clothing where ants are stinging and check folds and cuffs for more.
3. Wash the area with soap and water.
4. Cool it. Ice or a cold compress helps with pain and swelling. An over-the-counter antihistamine may help with itching; follow the package directions, since some cause drowsiness. A pharmacist can recommend a product.
5. Leave the pustules alone. Do not pop or scratch them. Keep them clean like any small wound.
6. Watch the person for the next several minutes to hours, especially children, anyone stung many times and anyone with past sting reactions or other severe allergies.

Get emergency care immediately for chest pain, nausea, heavy sweating, shortness of breath, serious swelling, slurred speech, faintness or loss of consciousness. CDC/NIOSH advises people with a history of severe reactions to stings to carry their prescribed epinephrine auto-injector and wear medical ID.

Can ants kill you?

Rarely. Oklahoma State University Extension notes deaths from fire ant stings are rare but have occurred, mainly in people with allergies. For everyone else, a swarm of stings is very painful but not life-threatening. OSU adds that fire ant stings can harm or occasionally kill birds and small animals and can sting poultry and livestock, so keep pets away from mounds too. No common Oklahoma house ant is dangerous in this way.

Are ants a health hazard in the house?

House ants do not spread disease the way mosquitoes or ticks do, but they are not clean either. They travel through garbage, drains and dead insects and then across counters, dishes and food. Oklahoma State University Extension notes that ants can spread foodborne bacteria such as Salmonella. Pharaoh ants are a special case: Ohio State University Extension says they can carry germs on their bodies and contaminate sterile materials, which is why they are taken seriously in hospitals and nursing homes. If ants get into food, throw it out, and store food in sealed containers. And while carpenter ants do not threaten your health, they can damage damp wood in the house.

How to avoid ant stings

• Look before you sit, kneel or set things down in the yard, at parks and at ball fields.
• Wear shoes and socks outdoors, and gloves when gardening or moving firewood and stones.
• Teach kids to recognize and stay away from dirt mounds and bare circles of ground.
• Keep pet food and water bowls away from mounds, and check bowls before setting them down outside.
• Have mounds near the house, play areas, gardens and walkways treated. Our guide to keeping ants away explains the two-step method for fire ants.

Bite back with an ant exterminator from Emtec

If fire ants or harvester ants have moved into your lawn, or house ants keep finding their way into your kitchen, Emtec Pest Control can help. Since 1979 we have been the ant exterminator for families and businesses in Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Owasso, Jenks, Bixby, Sand Springs, Sapulpa, Stillwater, Oklahoma City and Edmond. We identify the ants, treat the mounds and nests that matter, and help keep them from coming back. See our ant control service, our guide to Oklahoma pests that are harmful to people and pets, or contact us to schedule an inspection.