When you think of summer fun, do you think of a feeling of cool grass on your feet, summer picnics in the park, and kids rolling down a hill, laughing hysterically? Well, nothing can ruin the outdoor fun in the grass like fire ants. It wasn’t always this way. Haven’t we always had fire ants in the United States? They were first discovered here in the 1940’s. But since then, the insects are known as Solenopsis Invicta and Solenopsis Richteri, have spread throughout the Southeast, from Texas to Georgia and Tennessee, and as far up as Virginia. So, we folks here in Rome Georgia are right smack dab in the middle of all those fire ants. And, we probably don’t have to tell you how irritating they can be. But, what we’re going to look at today is the level of danger these pests actually pose.

Fire ants reproduce quickly. Yup, it is true. Did you know that one fire ant queen can live for up to 7 years, producing as many as 1,000 eggs per day and that a mature colony can contain up to 400,000 fertile female worker ants? That means a few ants can turn into a lot of ants in a short period of time.

Fire ants bite. When they bite, they hold on and inject venom. The bite itself may be unnoticed at first because it is overshadowed by the pain of the sting. But, not only are these bites painful, they can be dangerous to people who have allergic symptoms. These can lead to severe symptoms such as vomiting, stomach cramps, nausea, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, hoarseness or swelling of the tongue and throat. For some, a life-threatening situation may occur when anaphylaxis, a whole-body allergic reaction, happens. This can begin within minutes of being stung and it is characterized by dizziness, a drop in blood pressure, and possible unconsciousness or cardiac arrest.

Some people are more susceptible to fire ant dangers. If you are able to jump up and run away at the first notice of a fire ant sting (and you don’t have an allergic reaction) you will simply be left with a few red welts. But for people who are not able to get away, people who are invalids, elderly, handicapped or too young to walk, fire ants can sting repeatedly, causing serious pain and discomfort that can last for days.

So, are fire ants dangerous? For some, definitely, yes. For others, yes as well–because with fire ants around there is always a danger of them ruining an otherwise good time. If you are fed up with fire ants on your property, the pest experts here at Active Pest Control will be glad to help you out. Call today for immediate assistance.