If you live in the southern region of the U.S., you’ve probably had at least one encounter with fire ants and know what the pain of their stings feels like (ouch!). When it comes to these critters, here at the top 5 things you should know:
- First of all, you should know how to identify fire ant mounds so you can avoid fire ants at all costs! Fire ants can build their mounds up to a foot or more in height, but most mounds are just a few inches tall, so they blend easily with the landscape. There’s no hole at the top as you might find with other ant mounds, so they are more easily mistaken as dirt a pile of dirt, making it easy for you to mistakenly step on it!
- You are at high risk of stings if you live in areas with fire ants. Fire ants sting up to 40% of people who live in the southern region of the US each year (fire ants prefer the warm, sunny weather in the south—go figure!).
- Where there’s one, there’s many. Fire ants don’t just sting one at a time – they usually bite and sting in groups. If you step in a mound, tens to hundreds of fire ants can attack, each biting and stinging you. Be warned, attacks consist of both a bite AND a sting. Ouch! That’s where Fire Out comes in handy for relief of the pain and itch quickly.
- Fire ants can surprise you. They’re actually being studied by engineers for their keen ability to link together to form floating rafts in flood waters! They can even float and still sting, so if you live in an area with high risk of fire ants and flooding, then can even sting you in the floodwaters.
- Get Fast relief. Uh oh, you’ve kept an eye out but still got stung by fire ants? Once attacked, quickly apply Fire Out, a unique roll-on formula that combines powerful medicine to fight the pain and itch for immediate relief. The maximum strength dual-action formula includes benzocaine that acts as a topical anesthetic to alleviate the pain, while menthol reduces the itch from the stings. The handy roll-on applicator is perfect for on-the-go use, and allows you to cover larger areas of stings and bites with medicine for quick relief.
Living with fire ants is part of life in the southern states. But if you know what to look for and keep Fire-Out handy, you’ll be prepared no matter what comes your way.
