If you've never been bitten by a fire ant, consider yourself lucky. The harmful pest has a sting that's painful and irritating, and even if you've been stung before, you might not realize how dangerous fire ants can be. Find out why you don't want ants in or near your property in College Station.
Fire Ants Hurt
Small reddish ants, fire ants don't look that different from other ants. If you look closely at these College Station ants, you'll notice that they have both mandibles and stingers. When looking for food, fire ants will use their mandibles to grab ahold of prey, then use their stinger to inject their prey with venom. The venom is potent enough to kill or stun most small insects with little effort. And while the venom isn't potent enough to take down a human, it is strong enough to deliver a painful sting. No matter how tough you might be, you probably notice being stung by a fire ant. After you experience a sting, you'll probably notice the area starting to itch. In addition to being painful, fire ant bites are annoying. For days after your encounter, you could experience itchiness at the sting site.
Fire Ants Trigger Allergies
Just as some individuals are allergic to bees stings, some people are allergic to fire ant stings. Typically, you don't even know you have an allergy until you're the victim of an attack. The symptoms of an allergy to fire ant venom range from minor to severe. After being stung by a fire ant, you could experience dizziness or confusion. In extreme cases, you may experience anaphylaxis. The sting could threaten your life or the life of a loved one.
Fire Ants Attack In Numbers
Another danger of fire ants is the fact that they attack in large numbers. When one fire ant feels that the colony is being threatened, they signal other fire ants. You're more likely to be stung by multiple ants than just one. Unfortunately, this means experiencing many painful stings. Because their colonies are so large, fire ants can attack in the hundreds. If you have children, fire ants are particularly scary. As your child walks through the grass, they could unknowingly come across a nest. All it takes is one wrong step for a surprise swarm of fire ants to begin attacking. After receiving 10 or more fire ant stings, your child will be in significant pain. The more bites they receive, the more likely they are to have an allergic reaction.
Getting Rid Of Fire Ants
In addition to being dangerous, fire ants are also hard to get rid of. While some other types of ants only have one queen, fire ants have multiple queens. Killing one queen doesn't destroy a colony. It merely makes room for more ants to invade and pose a threat. Fire ants disperse and recolonize. If you use a DIY attempt at fire ant removal, you're unlikely to be successful. Most methods only kill some fire ants, but not 100% of the horde. Colonies can spread out from one property to another, in networks that are seemingly impossible to eliminate alone.
Working With An Expert
Fortunately, there is a way in which you can safely and effectively remove fire ants from your property. Here at D. Lee Pest Services, we understand what it takes to get rid of fire ants. Our trained commercial pest control experts know how to effectively remove fire ants from your property, and how to keep them from ever returning. If you want to protect yourself from the dangers of fire ants, give us a call today.