04-18-2008, 07:08 PM
I know that bite, oink. The little blister or pustule that develops is a mark of the fire ant, and actually I have had both the LFA and the large fire ants bite me with similar results. They are different sizes but the bite is the same, and varies from a regular biting red ant.
I talked to my allergy doctor about the bites because I had a couple where I got a red patch with a leading edge that worried me. She said the pustule bites are the LFA and people can be allergic to them like bee stings. They can test for sensitivity. I'm allergic to them but not, for now at least, extremely so.
However, with repeated bites, it's certainly possible for people's reactions to the fire ant bites to escalate. When I get bitten by one I get pretty bummed out because I know for the next week I'll be dealing with the aftermath, often not being able to sleep due to the itching ... but if you scratch then the itch becomes pain.
My concern with my pets isn't that they would eat the bait, but rather with cats, that they would walk on the ground or grass that's baited, pick it up on their paws, and then lick their paws as cats do. Possibly I worry too much, but it seemed like it could happen pretty easily.
I talked to my allergy doctor about the bites because I had a couple where I got a red patch with a leading edge that worried me. She said the pustule bites are the LFA and people can be allergic to them like bee stings. They can test for sensitivity. I'm allergic to them but not, for now at least, extremely so.
However, with repeated bites, it's certainly possible for people's reactions to the fire ant bites to escalate. When I get bitten by one I get pretty bummed out because I know for the next week I'll be dealing with the aftermath, often not being able to sleep due to the itching ... but if you scratch then the itch becomes pain.
My concern with my pets isn't that they would eat the bait, but rather with cats, that they would walk on the ground or grass that's baited, pick it up on their paws, and then lick their paws as cats do. Possibly I worry too much, but it seemed like it could happen pretty easily.