09-18-2007, 08:20 AM
yeah, my house in Waikoloa had scorpions, and the first week I looked down to see one running at my bare toes ... but since that house I've not seen them. Centipedes I loathe and fear.
But the fact is that ant and spider bites are 100% of the pain that has actually gotten me ... because I'm more casual (wrongly) about treading in their areas?
There are large red fire ants. I got bitten about two weeks ago; I still have scabs from the bites. They hurt like hell, then itch, then a day or two later they make little itchy painful blisters. When they blister I open them up. It is usually a bad idea to mess with bites, but with these I feel relief when I pop the blister and then apply Benadryl, like some of the toxin is released.
I also use clay on bites, anything that "draws" -- activated charcoal.
We had little fire ants in Hilo; we used the stuff for fire ants from Walmart / Home Depot / Garden Exchange, and it worked. Perhaps we didn't have a bad infestation.
Also our LFA had not chased off the other ants; we had large fire ants, red ants, black ants and LFA all on a 30,000 sq fppt piece ... but the LFA stayed in the upper back corner ... I'm sure they were fire ants, don't know any other ant that size to have a bite that fierce.
The thing I hate with the bites is they'll keep me from sleeping well for at least two nights.
But the fact is that ant and spider bites are 100% of the pain that has actually gotten me ... because I'm more casual (wrongly) about treading in their areas?
There are large red fire ants. I got bitten about two weeks ago; I still have scabs from the bites. They hurt like hell, then itch, then a day or two later they make little itchy painful blisters. When they blister I open them up. It is usually a bad idea to mess with bites, but with these I feel relief when I pop the blister and then apply Benadryl, like some of the toxin is released.
I also use clay on bites, anything that "draws" -- activated charcoal.
We had little fire ants in Hilo; we used the stuff for fire ants from Walmart / Home Depot / Garden Exchange, and it worked. Perhaps we didn't have a bad infestation.
Also our LFA had not chased off the other ants; we had large fire ants, red ants, black ants and LFA all on a 30,000 sq fppt piece ... but the LFA stayed in the upper back corner ... I'm sure they were fire ants, don't know any other ant that size to have a bite that fierce.
The thing I hate with the bites is they'll keep me from sleeping well for at least two nights.