"It's 'fatal' to be bitten once"
Ms. Xia from Wuhan described it this way
How you feel after being stung by a red fire ant
Zhejiang Province carries out an annual survey of red fire ants, and at present, red fire ants have entered an active period, and if the public finds red fire ant nests, try to bypass and avoid approaching
Morphology of red fire ant worker ants under the microscope. Source: Xinhua News Agency
Recently, Ms. Xia was walking in the community wearing slippers, which is rich in greenery, and she was accidentally stung on her right leg by red fire ants. After going out several times, even though she was wearing socks and trousers, she was bitten on her left leg, ankle and the back of her hand one after another.
"On the night of the bite (the stinging site), it was red, swollen and hot, bulging up the size of a palm, itching to the heart, and I couldn't sleep at all. Later, the process of scabbing and scratching was repeated, and it was not only itchy but also painful. At its worst, the scalp is numb and lightheaded. It's been a month and a half now, and it's not completely healed, and the bite area is still itchy. Ms. Xia said.
Wounds after being stung by red fire ants. Source: Courtesy of the interviewee
Red fire ants, native to South America, are reddish-brown in color and similar in appearance to common ants, about 3 mm to 6 mm long. It has been described as "recognized as one of the 100 most dangerous invasive species in the world" and has been listed as a national agricultural, forestry and phytosanitary pest.
Unlike ordinary ants, red fire ants are very aggressive. When a red fire ant stung a person, it bites the skin with its palate forceps and pierces it with a tail sting needle and releases venom. The stinging area will have a burning pain, followed by redness, swelling and suppuration, and some people with allergies may go into shock and even die.
Nest morphology of red fire ants in the wild. Source: Xinhua News Agency
The biggest feature of the red fire ant is its nest, which often appears in grass, farmland, wasteland, roadside, park and other places, and piles the fine particles of soil chips dug from the ground into a mound-like ant nest, which is honeycomb-shaped inside, and the nest of ordinary ants will not rise; If you peel off the surface, there will be many dark red ants gushing out, large and small, among which the large ones are soldier ants and the small ones are worker ants, all of which can sting.
Red fire ants are extremely fecundive, the number of individuals in a mature ant nest can reach hundreds of thousands, and an ant nest often has multiple queens, each queen ant can lay thousands of eggs per day, and ant mounds can be built on the ground in a short time, which has a great competitive advantage in the ecosystem, and has almost no natural enemies in the mainland.
According to the statistics released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, in 2016, red fire ants invaded 281 counties (cities and districts) in 11 provinces, and by 2023, the data will change to 625 counties (cities and districts) in 12 provinces, and 344 counties (cities and districts) will be newly invaded in 7 years, and their spread rate is still very fast.
Experts warn to spot ant nests and avoid approaching
Red fire ants may cause serious harm to agricultural and forestry production, human health, public safety and the ecological environment. Every year, the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs carries out a general survey of red fire ants, increases the density of monitoring points in high-risk areas, and strives to promote early detection and early disposal.
Experts remind that at present, red fire ants have entered the active period, if the public finds that there are nests of red fire ants around their homes, try to bypass and avoid approaching, and remove them by relevant technical departments or professional control agencies and companies. If you are accidentally stung by red fire ants, you should wash the wound with soapy water before going to the hospital in time.
Poisonous insects are active outdoors during this season
Accidentally bitten
Susceptible to a wide range of diseases
In severe cases, it can be life-threatening
Keep this insect control manual and how to deal with it
Hurry up and forward to remind your family and friends!
Source: Zhejiang News, Xinhua News Agency, CCTV News
Editor: Lu Anran
Second trial: Jiang Zhi
Final review: Wang Zhonghua