Fire Ant Bite Remedies

| Modified on Jul 23, 2023
The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Fresh Lemon Juice
Posted by Sue (FL) on 07/23/2023
★★★★★

My husband was weedeating and got attacked by tiny fire ants. He was going crazy! I immediately got on Earth Clinic to look for a remedy. First thing I saw was lemon juice. I had a fresh lemon, cut it in half and told him to rub it all over where he was bitten. It stopped the itching almost instantly and now, 3 hours later he already forgot about it. I will always be keeping lemons around now!


Salt
Posted by Francis (Oxford MS.) on 09/03/2022

Ant Bites:

What oil do I use on my 3 year old?


Fresh Lemon Juice
Posted by Xmicrobiologist (Nowehere, Usa) on 09/21/2018
★★★★★

I was pulling weeds this morning, without gloves, -which yes, is very dumb, and I had about 20 fire ants on me before I could get them off! I think I got bit all over my hands and feet maybe 15 times, in some places more than once over and over. I immediately tried ACV, -no dice. Heat was the same. Finally I tried lemon juice and immediate relief. I've been re-applying for the past 2 hours and the bites are almost GONE!!! Thank you Earth Clinic!


Hot Soak
Posted by Abigail (North Carolina) on 03/09/2018
★★★★★

I was bitten by a fire ant near my ankle and my foot swelled. I am a hair dresser so I am on my feet all day. By the end of the day I could barely hobble on it! The hot soak is the only thing that has helped besides an allergy pill. Works so great! Currently soaking and my foot is already feeling better!


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Richardrosen (Sebastian, Florida) on 10/11/2016 1 posts
★★★★★

I received about a dozen bites. I knew the quicker I applied a remedy the better. So I dabbed on Grapefruit Seed Extract, Oregano oil, tea tree oil. Also took a homeopathic for poison ivy and such; can't hurt I thought.

Then I searched online and came up with EarthClinic and apple cider vinegar. I soaked the area in a vinegar compress for 15 minutes, and I'm certainly feeling better than at the beginning of the ordeal. And lastly, when I had gotten myself together, I prayed and surrounded my foot with healing energy. As you can see, quite a few things thrown into the mix.

Glad to find this site and will return for other remedies.


Tansy (Plant)
Posted by Michael (New Zealand) on 07/21/2016

"Tansy" was recommended to me as an ant-repellant many years ago. I only remembered it because it is an anogram of ants!!

Maybe you need to grow the plant near the ants or move a potted plant to wherever the ants are gathering. Anyway, there you go.....another weapon in the war on ants!


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Pat (Windsor Berkshire) on 08/31/2015
★★★★★

I have been bitten by fire ants while I was in bed. It's burning and painfully little white blisters and circle of red. I've put cider vinegar on the area. It's helping.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Collette (San Diego) on 07/21/2015
★★★★★

Thank you. I was starting to panic after a huge fire ant repeatedly bit me on my toe. It swelled immediately and was so painful I couldn't stand it. I live for away from any stores and read about the apple cider vinegar remedy. Instant relief.


Fresh Lemon Juice
Posted by Cyn ( Florida) on 04/25/2015
★★★★★

I was stung yesterday by 50 fire ants, all over my feet , it was horrible. It would itch, I would scratch, then it became very painful. This repeated for the next 28 hours. So severe I had blisters the size of a quarter. I went to google, brought me to earth clinic. I rubbed lemon on even the parts with the blisters. INSTANT RELIEF please REMEMBER THIS. It has been 15 minutes and still no pain, no itch unbelievable that this worked. Thank u sooo ooo much


Comfrey
Posted by Greenllll (Kingstree, SC) on 09/11/2014
★★★★★

I was pulling weeds w/ gloves on and got 20 fire-ant stings where my gloves touch my wrists. Then to top it off, a wasp stung my finger through the gloves. It hurt bad.

Normally, my body can handle a few stings w/out a hitch but, for whatever reason, whether it was the fact that I vomited a lot the night before due to overeating, or it was due to the mixture of the 2 different poisons in my hand, my hand swelled up, and I couldn't close my fist w/out an inch gap.

Of course, the first thing I did was go to Earth Clinic. I tried ACV soak, charcoal poultice, I ate 1 square inch of charcoal, and I bathed. None of that made the swelling go down.

Then I put a big poultice of comfrey on my hand, where the glove was protecting it. Note that the ants never stung my hand, but it was swollen. This didn't yield any effect.

Next I put the poultice on my wrist w/ the 20 ant stings and I made a little poultice for the site of the wasp sting on my finger. That drawed out the poison to the skin, so I had these white blisters on my skin after applying to poultice directly to the area that was stung. I still have them & I'm on day 2. Although the white blisters are still there, the swelling in my hand has decreased 90% since I added the comfrey poultice, and none of the other things I tried reduced the swelling. I an close my hand now with maybe 5% resistence.

The strange thing is, & I'm not recommending this, but the majority of the healing occurred while I was doing tantric work, and my heart was lit up to almost overstimulation. Don't ask. Still, I think the comfrey was the key herb. Knitbone is one of the most powerful healing herbs known. Its amazing stuff. It can make swelling go down in a few hours, even w/ broken bones, not that that is always a good thing, probably not, but it works that way. Get your bones set before using this stuff. As for antbites, chew it up w/ some water, spit it on the area, and cover it up w/ a grocery bag & some tape.


Borax
Posted by Robert Henry (Ten Mile, Tn) on 05/12/2014
★★★★★

YEP, fire ants can kill you. Lots of stories to that effect when someone was penned on a fire ant hill. They are moving north from the Sweat South. All the insecticides are just so much hooey. We have tried them all and all they do is make them move to a new area. The absolute best solution to rid them is 20 Mule Team Borax. Why? I have no clue, but it works.

When we get bit , we just grin and bear it. Discussing this is a waste of time . It is priority # 942 in the real health world. That comment is what was expected of me. Right?

==========OLE ROBERT HENRY============


Salt
Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 05/12/2014
★★★★★

For fire ant bites, you can make a table salt poultice, which we have found very effective in reducing pain and swelling from bites. (We mix it with water and put in a paper towel and wrap to the area with Cling Wrap.) Also, if there is swelling, elevating the foot would be great if that is possible. A baking soda poultice can work well too.

~Mama to Many~

White Vinegar
Posted by Beth (Florida) on 09/16/2013

I live in Florida where there are many red ants.

Through trial and error I have found the best advice I have been given is to use Desenex Spray. It takes the sting right out. You may need to spray more than once especially after first stung. Unfortunately it can itch for weeks after so keep the spray handy.


Emu Oil
Posted by Peggy (Chelsea, Al) on 06/23/2013
★★★★★

Emu oil is AMAZING for fire ants bites!! Make sure it's natural and pure.


Multiple Remedies
Posted by Katrinika (Raleigh, Nc) on 06/12/2013

I wrote too soon! As the day progressed, my feet swelled and some itching began. I soaked in Epsom salts again before bed and used the chigger mixture and comfrey salve. During the night I had to use my chigger mixture to quell itching and this morning I have little blisters. Not waiting for them to fester, but lancing them and rubbing on raw ACV with much relief. Will post to see how long it takes to recover completely. (Sorry for posting too soon... lesson learned! ).


Multiple Remedies
Posted by Katrinika (Raleigh, NC) on 06/11/2013
★★★★★

Went foraging, hoping to find some wild stinging nettle, and while being ever so careful of some vigorously healthy poison ivy, I was looking closer at a pointed, jagged-edged leaf (not nettles after all) when I realized my feet were burning. Fire ants! Before I could brush them all away I had numerous stings to my feet and ankles. They hurt a lot!

I hurried for home but almost immediately stumbled into some clay quick sand in a run off area that sucked my sandals off - we just had a LOT of rain - and realized as I hurried on that it had felt soothing to the bites. So I went back and stood in the mud for a moment or two. I didn't want to waste time getting back home to treat before too much damage was done, but I do think the clay bought me some time or even was a beneficial first line of treatment!

At home twenty minutes later, I did a hasty google and ran into the debate about acid vs. Alkaline treatment. So I quickly doused my feet and ankles in white vinegar (at ten times the price I figured I save my raw organic ACV for spot treating later), dumped that out and then doused in household cleaning ammonia. Then I threw together an Epsom salts soak with the cold water on hand outside, figuring that even if it did nothing about the stings it would calm me down.

I shortly realized that the only sting that was hurting was one that was too high up my leg for the Epsom salts to reach (I may have missed it with the vinegar and ammonia, too, and the higher bite wouldn't have made it into the mud, for sure). I changed that leg to a different, higher bucket.

After about half an hour, with a headache trying to sneak in (fire ants?), I rubbed on some witch hazel/mint mouthwash/EOs mixture that helped last year with chigger bites (thank you, Earth Clinic people) and decided to try to nap and decide what other steps I'd have to take from there.

Well, I must have done something right because two hours later all I see where I know ants stung is little dark sting spots. No blister, redness, burning, etc. It itches a little but the chigger mixture takes care of that.

I had been anticipating having to hunt up more remedies... Things like plantain, etc. , to deal with the aftermath. I'll know better tomorrow, but at the moment it looks like there is no aftermath! In the past, without immediate treatment, those stings have resulted in terrible misery and open, running sores that went on for weeks.

Thank You, God... Your natural pharmacy rules!

Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Ali (Tampa, Fl) on 11/20/2012
★★★★★

Fire ant bites - ACV is definitely helpful for time being! Thanks for the Apple Cider Vinegar idea!!


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Colorado Mom (Denver, Colorado) on 10/21/2012
★★★★★

I had several red ant stings on my leg and ankle. 6 hours, cold compresses and a benedryl later I read this advice about apple cider vinegar. I jumped up, got the cider and cotton balls and dabbed. Instant relief! It did wear off but just applied again. Thank you!



NEXT 
1 2 Next Page
Advertisement