Help me figure out this type of ant
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Old Dixie Dog
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Posted 9:05 pm, 06/27/2019
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J C and Joseph T. Thank you for the information.
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Joseph T.
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Posted 8:56 pm, 06/27/2019
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Old Dixie Dog (view profile) | Posted 3:58 pm, 06/27/2019 | JC, did the state destroy the colony? If so, what did they use ? I have a huge colony of black ants near my garden that I can not seem to get exterminated. I have reduced it, but they are not completely destroyed.
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Cypher WP it works
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JC
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Posted 6:45 pm, 06/27/2019
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I'm not an allergist or anything, but about 2 1/2 hours after the first set of stings I had to go to Urgent Care because my face and ears were severely swollen, along with a red rash all over my chest, back, arms, and legs. The doctor said that my throat was starting to swell, too, and it looked like anaphylaxis to her.
A shot of epinephrine and Prednisone helped.
The second sting was just one sting, not an swarm, and afterward I immediately washed it, applied Benadryl cream, and took an antihistamine. But by the next day I had hives all over both arms and chest, but not in my face or throat, and a 6-day round of Prednisone mostly cleared it up. I still have a few spots on my arms, though.
From the Mayo Clinic:
The most common anaphylaxis triggers in children are food allergies, such as to peanuts, and tree nuts, fish, shellfish and milk. Besides allergy to peanuts, nuts, fish and shellfish, anaphylaxis triggers in adults include: Certain medications, including antibiotics, aspirin and other over-the-counter pain relievers, and the intravenous (IV) contrast used in some imaging tests
Stings from bees, yellow jackets, wasps, hornets and fire ants
Latex
I haven't been to an allergist, though, so I can't say whether my reaction was normal or if I have a specific allergy. Either way, I can't say that I'd recommend it! 
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I'mjustsayn
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Posted 4:21 pm, 06/27/2019
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you are not allergic to fire ants. anyone bit or stung would react that way.
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JC
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Posted 4:04 pm, 06/27/2019
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No, she brought a specific type of fire ant bait (that she said you could get from Lowes), but it's not pet safe and these are in the area that my dogs use.
She said that Seven Dust would also work. But I'm going to spread Diatomaceous earth first; I have a lot of food-grade DE on hand already, and it's safe for humans and pets.
I sprinkled plain grits on a black ant colony a few years ago, and that seemed to wipe it out. They would eat the grit, then drink water and it would expand, making them literally explode! Which is absolutely horrific, but it worked. It took several treatments, though, to get the eggs that hatched afterward.
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Old Dixie Dog
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Posted 3:58 pm, 06/27/2019
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JC, did the state destroy the colony? If so, what did they use ? I have a huge colony of black ants near my garden that I can not seem to get exterminated. I have reduced it, but they are not completely destroyed.
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JC
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Posted 3:13 pm, 06/27/2019
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FYI, the state came and checked it out... yes, definitely fire ants  They hadn't been reported in Wilkes before, but they're very aggressive and are regulated by the state.
They likely came in when a nearby farmer bought hay from farther South.
So everyone be on the lookout; they swarm and tend to sting in groups, which can be dangerous for children, the elderly, pets, or anyone like me that's allergic to them!
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JC
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Posted 1:45 pm, 06/19/2019
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They haven't really done any damage to my property (no more than black ants have, anyway), and I wouldn't be so concerned if it wasn't for my allergic reaction. It looks like two stings will be enough to send me to Urgent Care 
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Bestill
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Posted 6:05 am, 06/19/2019
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They are here, but do not panic. You can drown their nests with water. I have lived where fire ants live and you can acclimate. Just watch where you put your feet as they can become aggressive. If you see a nest, just drown it out. They will move the colony hopefully farther away from where you want you put your lawn chair.
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GeneGo
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Posted 2:55 am, 06/19/2019
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It could be...we now have armadillos. I just can't wait until we have pythons in Kerr Scott dam. Talk 'bout sumpin on your Zebco. 
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JC
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Posted 2:49 am, 06/19/2019
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I found this, and the picture of the blisters looks like what I have on my arms now, 5 days after the sting:
And it does look like they've found their way to North Carolina, and even though Wilkes isn't on the list, they've been reported in Catawba and Rowan:
And finally, they can be as little as 1/16th inch in size, and some of the pictures I've seen look more orange than red (although most are darker red).
So maybe I'm just the lucky guy to discover imported fire ants in Wilkes. Yay! 
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GeneGo
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Posted 9:25 pm, 06/18/2019
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It sounds like a fire ant, but is larger than a flea. We had those in Florida, but I didn't think they were this far north. They really can hurt. They both sting and bite.
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JC
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Posted 9:33 pm, 06/17/2019
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I have a type of ant in my yard, and apparently I'm pretty allergic to it! So I'm trying to figure out exactly what it is.
It's tiny, slightly larger than a flea.
Bright orange.
A sting from it feels like a hornet sting, but I didn't find any stingers embedded in my skin.
The sting immediately begins to swell, making a wide, flat welt about the size of a nickel (although the size could just be due to my allergy). This was an aggressive attack with 20+ stings on my back and arms.
The first time I was bitten was in a mostly shade garden bed that I had recently mulched, with hostas and sedum.
The second time I was bitten was in a full sun area that's really just an old pine tree stump surrounded with mondo grass, irises, and blackberry vines, and hadn't been mulched yet. This was a single sting, though, with the ant on a fence post that I happened to lean on. This was the only time that I saw the ant, but the sting and reaction was identical to the first time.
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