Fire ant First Aid

As I had my third encounter with fire ants yesterday, I have been doing a little reading about how to treat these stings.


Here is a useful page on the subject.
And another one with recommendations for bites on children.

For relief of the skin irritation, the most common solutions I have seen, after the wounds have been cleaned and disinfected, are itch creams such as hydrocortizone cream, as well as witch hazel. Oral antihistamines can be helpful as well. I have also seen products at the drugstore labled specifically for use on fire ant stings, but I have not tried them yet, myself.

Some websites also suggest elevating the stung body part as a component of first aid treatment, to help minimize the initial swelling.

As always, severe allergic reactions should be treated in the emergency room.

And when in doubt, see a doctor.