Ant bite: These home remedies help

How dangerous is an ant bite? How can the symptoms of a bite be alleviated? We present you with home remedies that provide relief.

As a rule, you don’t have to worry about an ant bite: your garden is mainly inhabited by house ants, which can bite if they feel threatened by you. However, they don’t inject poison.

If you are hiking in the forest, it is possible that the bites come from forest ants. When threatened, they inject formic acid, which can cause pain in humans and sometimes trigger allergic reactions.

Ant bite – how dangerous is it?

Ants live in the forest or in gardens. They organize themselves in colonies, similar to bees. Just like bees, ants defend their colony when they feel threatened – for example by you. All it takes is for you to get too close to the anthill.

The bite or sting of ants is harmless in our latitudes, according to the Federal Environment Agency. However, sensitive people may experience hives or allergies in the form of rashes or swelling.

• When an ant attacks, it bites into the skin with its pincers.
• In addition, some species, such as the wood ant, squirt out a secretion containing formic acid that is painful for humans. The skin around the ant bite turns red and a small pustule forms – similar to a nettle sting.
• If the bite site swells up significantly over a large area, this indicates an allergic reaction. In this case, you should seek medical treatment for the ant bite.

What helps against ant bites?

Even though an ant bite is harmless, it is very unpleasant. Fortunately, you can get relief with various home remedies. These remedies help:

1. Onion juice: Onions are a proven home remedy for mosquito bites, horsefly bites, bee stings and bumblebee stings. Cut an onion open and rub the cut surface over the ant bite. The onion has a disinfectant effect and reduces the swelling.

2. Cooling compress: Often it is enough to cool the ant bite with a damp cloth.

3. Acetic clay: If you want to increase the effect of the wet compress, you can also use acetic clay. To do this, stir a tablespoon of acetic clay into a glass of water, moisten a small cloth or some cotton wool with it and place the moist cloth on the affected area. You can then fix the whole thing lightly with a bandage or cloth.

Ants and humans – not always a peaceful coexistence

Ants are extremely useful animals. They can be found in almost every garden. However, if they spread too much, it can become a problem. Ants can be particularly problematic for children because they often play close to the ground.

If you can hardly stay in your garden without fearing an ant bite, you may have no choice but to take measures against ants. In another article, we show you how to gently get rid of ants using household remedies.

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Edited by Annika Reketat

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