How it Feels to Be Bitten by 1000 Fire Ants

I was relatively new to the Dallas area, and although I had heard of fire ants in Texas, I was unaware of their peculiar habits and had not encountered them in large numbers. Fire ants, imported from South America, are an agressive species that have the ability to inflict a surprising amount of pain by slicing through your skin with sharp, specially adapted mandibles and then spray-injecting venom into the wound from their abdomen.

My close encounter with these tiny terrors occured when I was working at a gas station and decided to pull up the tall weeds growing in the crack between the back wall and the cement paving. Fire ants, unlike most native species, will build their mounds in clumps of vegetation without disturbing the plant's growth. Hence, when I yanked up a large, well-developed thistle, I was sprayed by loose, dry earth, infested with hundreds upon hundreds of angy fire ants.

When a fire ant mound is disturbed, even slightly, the ants surge out in an incredibly fast rush. They can sprint up your legs in a fraction of a second, latching onto your flesh tenaciously with their legs, biting and injecting venom. Unfortunately, in the 100 degree heat I was wearing shorts and had my shirt off. Ants covered my face, arms legs and torso, front and back. I gasped from the dust in my nose and eyes. It took me a moment to realize what was happening. A wave of searing pain, like a combination of a low voltage electric shock and the contact of flames on bare skin swept upward from my legs and in from my arms. When the pain from the extremities seemed to converge in the center of my chest, it felt like a body slam hitting me.

A surge of sheer terror also flared up at that time and the resulting rush of adrenaline spurred me into action. I went into hyperdrive and sprinted into the operating carwash bay.The occupants of the car being washed gaped in disbelief as I yanked one of the water hoses off its fitting and blasted the ants off my skin with the high pressure spray. Meanwhile, my brain shifted into super-science mode, grappling feverishly for a survival strategy. I must find an antidote and quick! From some obscure chemistry class I recalled that insect venom was often comprised of alkaloid compounds. An acid soluton would would neutralize it! In a few bounds I reached the utility sink, grabbed a can of powdered bleach, and doused myself from head to toe. The passengers in the carwash stared in horror as I then stood rigid as a scarecrow, legs spread and arms outstretched, covered in a paste of powder and water. But the "antidote" idea worked, whether or not the scientific reasoning was correct. The pain gradually subsided. I realized then that I had barely been breathing the whole time, as if my lungs and ribcage were locked or paralyzed, but soon I began to breathe normally again. Note that despite my apparent success, I do not advocate or reccomend anyone else trying this treatment. In case of multiple bites, dial 911 and seek professional medical help immediately. About the same time, but in another location, one of my former co-workers, who was alergic to fire ants, had a life-threatening reaction from just a few bites.

Realitively speaking, I got off easy. An untreated fire ant bite will burn and sting for a an hour or so, then slowly turn into a small, fluid or pus-filled blister that itches for days or weeks. I had a number of those around my ankles and shins, but most of the bites remained tiny red blotches that caused a moderate itch. Due to the fact that I had five to ten bites per square inch of exposed skin, 1000 bites is a fair, conservative estimate. The main residual effect was remarkably like having a sunburn for several days.

Incidently, a few years later I discovered that a local folk remedy for a fire ant bite is an application of liquid (chlorine) bleach. Gardeners and construction workers sometimes have a bottle on hand when venturing out into the fields. For quite some time thereafter, I carried around a large bleach bottle in my car trunk. I also scrupulously avoided fire ants.