Fire Ants info needed!!! due to allergic reaction to them =( (Houston: home, live)

[movingaroundok]

Hello all! I suspect that my husband was bitten by a Fire Ant. He was gardening and there was a small ant hill and he may have gotten bitten by one as we do see a bite mark but cannot tell as he doesn’t remember. He had a major anaphylaxis (deadly allergic reaction) and he was taken into the hospital via an ambulance. His blood pressure dropped severely low and he passed out. Anyway it was very scary! We are getting blood work done on him and it has to be 6 weeks after the bite. My question to people is how common is Fire Ants in Houston? We will be moving to Cinco Ranch and are there any Cinco Ranchers out there that can let me know if they have had a huge issue with Fire Ants? Is anyone else out there allergic to Fire Ants in this way and if so I would love any advice and tips on how to stay protected against them and is gardening now totally out of the question for my husband?!?!?!... What works to keep them away or get rid of them?? The Dr advised my husband that there is a treatment he can go through to desensitize him from the sting.I believe it will be once a week for a few months then once a month for up to 5 years!!!! It is a long process =(. Has anyone had this procedure done?? Any I info is appreciated… Thank you.

[slickblackvette]

To answer your question, YES there will be fire ants almost everywhere you go in that part of the state. Can they be controlled? Yes but it is something you will have to stay on top of. Keep in mind that if you have neighbors that are not controlling their ant problem they will eventually be back in your yard as well. There are several products out there to control the ants and they are all effective if used properly. Some are fast acting and require follow up treatments while others work slowly but are more final. In drier and colder times the mounds may not be as visible but after a good rain in the spring or summer you can basically watch them pop up from one day to the next! For info on the ants and control measures go to http://fireant.tamu.edu/. Wish I could say there would be no problem but fire ants are an everyday thing around these parts! Hope this helps.

[Midnitecruzer]

Hi here is a website that will be of great help to you.

http://fireant.tamu.edu/materials/multimedia_photos/

On the right hand side there is a link to FIRST AID FOR FIRE ANT STINGS
http://fireant.tamu.edu/materials/fa...ev.Medical.pdf

On pages 3-4 there is an explanation of the sensitiveness of some people to the venom.

A little history of what I recall of the Imported Red Fire Ant.
The ants were stoleaways from South America in a shipment that came in through Lousiana. They spread east to Florida and west to California.
They tunnel way deep into the ground to set up their nest. The new queen can fly out up to 1 mile and set up a new nest. They have to be near water.

They have been know to kill small game, rabbits, snakes. They will attack anything that comes near their mount. They feel the vibrations and by the time the victim is near the mound, they will be all over it.

When they attack, they bite with their jaws and sting with their tail as they go around in a circle. So as they hold on with their jaws, they make a circle stinging various times. They are not like a bee who only stings once. They can sting various times!

I hope that information helps you and here is another web page with information.
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/pdep/rifa/html/english/links/links.html (broken link)

Good luck,
Midnitecruzer

[Kandy]

If you're staying in the area, I would do the treatments. My dad had to go through this and no longer lives in fear. Have a company come and periodically check and protect your home from fire ants. This is what we do. Good luck to you.