Friday, November 13, 2009

Fire Ants

Some fire ants snacked on Emily's arm the other day.  We have lots of them around here, and while they don't go looking for you to hunt you down and eat you, they do feel welcome to sting if you cross their path or disturb their home. 

I don't know if the ants sting because they feel threatened, or if they are just mean.  The get ahold of their victims with their jaws mandibles, then pivot around the bite location to sting repeatedly. It is mildly painful to have one sting, but to have several, or, God forbid, hundreds of them all at once is awful!

These fire ants were climbing up a post, and Emily leaned on it.  In less than seconds she had ants moving quickly up her arm.  Emily hollered to her chivalrous, manly friend, Brandon, to help her get the ants off.  By the time they had cleared them, she had at least a couple dozen stings. 

Her mosquito bites swell to the size of a nickel or bigger.  (No, we don't have mosquitoes here, not many.  These were Missouri mosquitoes. Foreigners.)  Looks to me like she is mildly allergic. Fire ant stings normally look like this.  But look at these things.  This was several hours later. (You'll have to use your imagination. My photography skills are right up there with my helicopter mechanic skills.)  The next morning even her face was swollen.

What I want to know is, might this be a good indication that she is also allergic to bee stings??  Should I be carrying Benadryl everywhere we go?




The sting of death is sin;
1 Cor. 15:56

7 comments:

  1. Poor baby! I'm so sorry for her....

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  2. Poor little thing!

    Yeah, it seems that she is highly reactive and produces Histamine in abundance! Stay away from stinging creatures!


    We don't have fire ants around here but we do have mosquitoes and I react very badly to their bites. My sympathies are with you!

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  3. I carry 50 mg of Ben everywhere I go for me. I don't know the childs dose of course, but yes you need to be prepared.


    Kristy

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  4. oh and I carry the B in the strip form, it will get in the system faster.


    K

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  5. Oh the poor dear - that looks painful.


    You know we don't have fire ants up here, I don't think, but as a young teen we went to OK to visit relatives and saw the big red fire ant mounds - glad they aren't up here.

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  6. Oh NO!!! Poor little thing! :-(

    I would definitely see about getting an Epi-pen for her, because subsequent reactions are often worse. Praying she is all better soon!

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  7. Itchy. Itchy. That's what happens to me when I get bit by certain misquitos (the striped ones). It's horrible. I use Zyrtec for it, but mostly time helps.

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