Top 9 Things to Know About the Dangerous House Ant

Many people mistakenly confuse house ant stings with shingles. However, stings from house ants show distinct signs including:

• House ant stings typically appear on exposed skin areas such as the face and arms.
• The sting forms into a long streak or cluster of blisters....

At first, there is mild itching, skin tightness, and redness in the affected area. The skin becomes swollen and reddened with blisters of varying sizes. After 1-3 days, these blisters can turn into large, painful sores with pus. Some people may also experience mild fever, discomfort, swollen lymph nodes, and pain in the neck, armpits, or groin.

The first thing to remember is to never attempt to crush the ant with your bare hands. This can cause the toxins on the house ant to transfer to your skin, leading to severe consequences.

If you encounter a house ant, gently blow it away from your body, then use paper to pick it up after it has moved some distance away from you.

• Wear gloves when handling them, and use insecticides to spray into their nests.
• Keep windows tightly shut to prevent ants from entering your home.
• Close curtains to block light that attracts house ants.
• Install insect screens on windows and vents.
• Avoid using neon lights at night and do not sit near bright light sources such as lamps.
• If possible, turn on balcony lights to attract house ants outside, keeping them from entering your home.

As soon as you notice red spots and small blisters, it's best to wash the area 3-4 times a day with saline solution to neutralize the insect's secretion. Afterward, apply soothing skin treatments such as calamine lotion or Tetra-pred ointment. Once the injury starts to dry, apply an antibiotic cream or a combination of antibiotic and anti-inflammatory cream like corticosteroids.

However, if the symptoms persist or the injury spreads with signs of widespread infection, it's essential to consult a dermatologist for appropriate advice on using antibiotics or allergy medications.

Children are particularly vulnerable as they cannot tolerate the itching, which may cause the injury to spread further. The severity of the injury and symptoms like mild fever, discomfort, swollen lymph nodes, and pain can vary. Some may only have a few stings, while others may experience extensive damage with swelling across the face.

If the sting shows signs of ulceration, infection, or pus discharge, apply 1% methylene blue solution and visit a healthcare facility for timely treatment. Clean the wound with diluted saltwater before applying medication, ideally twice daily.

House ants carry highly toxic venom, and even a brief contact with their body can cause significant damage. When people spot a house ant, many mistakenly try to crush it with their bare hands, similar to how they would with a mosquito or regular ant. This action spreads the venom, affecting not only the sting site but also the surrounding skin and palm area.

If the injury is not treated properly, it can lead to skin inflammation and prolong the healing process. Therefore, when you spot a house ant on your skin, never try to crush it with your bare hands. Gently blow it away or use an object to carefully remove it to prevent the venom from spreading.

Many people confuse house ant stings with shingles, especially when large blisters with pus appear on the skin. Some self-medicate with over-the-counter creams, thinking that applying more will help. However, excessive use of medication, such as Acyclovir, can cause skin ulcers and deeper damage, ultimately delaying recovery.

"House ants are difficult to eliminate, and common insect sprays are ineffective. However, since these insects are attracted to light, you can use this behavior to limit their entry into your home. In apartment buildings, it's recommended to install lighting systems strategically. Place bright lights away from the home to attract insects, while using softer lights in the vicinity of the house to keep them away." (According to Dr. Pham Thi Khoa, Department of Experimental Chemistry, Institute of Malariology, Parasitology, and Entomology.)

House ants are challenging to exterminate due to their unique anatomy, which includes breathing holes along their segments. When chemicals are sprayed, they detect the fumes and close their breathing pores, causing them to go into a false death state.

Currently, there is no commercially available insecticide specifically for house ants. To eliminate them, the Science and Technology Center combines several chemicals based on research and successful trials in over 2,000 households, businesses, and agencies. After testing, it was found that the ants perished in large numbers, and the insecticide left no more ants flying into the treated area.

* The insecticide used for house ants combines several broad-spectrum insecticides that are effective in killing and preventing house ants and other harmful pests. It is completely safe for humans and pets.

The insecticide formula has been tested and proven to be over 95% effective.

Dealing with house ants on your own can be extremely challenging for most households. If you discover house ants in your home, avoid handling them yourself to prevent exposure to their toxic venom. Instead, immediately contact a professional pest control service that specializes in house ant extermination and other harmful pests.

The most effective method involves applying residual insecticide to walls up to 2 meters in height. This will eliminate any house ants present in the area and kill those that enter from outside. The residual effect of the insecticide also helps repel other insects from entering the home.

There are many pest control services available, so you can research and choose the most reliable and reputable provider that offers high-quality extermination services.

The house ant, scientifically known as *Paederus fuscipe*, has a slender, elongated body resembling a grain of rice (1-1.2 cm long and 2-3 mm wide). It has a distinctive red and black coloration, making it look like an ant. Due to this appearance, it is often called by various names, such as wild ant, rice ant, or curved ant.

House ants are typically found in areas near rice fields, around straw piles, grassy fields, near water sources, vegetable plots, and construction sites. Their bodies contain Pederine (C24H43O9N), a substance that can cause burning sensations on the skin, similar to the toxin found in certain caterpillars and the phosphorous in "bed bugs".

Regarding their behavior and food sources, these insects are often found in rice fields (since 1919), school environments, dormitories, shared housing, and worker dorms on the outskirts of cities with surrounding grass. When brown planthoppers or leaf-rolling caterpillars infest rice fields, house ants infiltrate and feed on them, making them natural predators. During harvest time, they are drawn to high-rise buildings with neon lights, where they hunt other insects like brown planthoppers or aphids inside the buildings.

Throughout the rainy season, storms and floods push these insects toward drier areas. After floods that inundate rice fields or ponds, the ants are attracted to lights at night, flying into homes along with other insects. People working under lights may unknowingly come into contact with these pests, causing Pederine from the ants to transfer to their skin, which can lead to skin irritation or blistering. In some cases, people might accidentally squash the insects, transferring the toxin to their skin and creating wounds.

In Vietnam, these ants were first identified in high-rise apartment buildings in Hanoi, Hai Phong, Can Tho, Ho Chi Minh City, and other locations near rice fields. They tend to appear more frequently during the autumn harvest season, with peak activity in the months around harvest time.

Many parents are unaware of the dangers posed by house ants. When they see them, they often mistake them for regular ants and think nothing of allowing them to roam freely in their homes. It's only when the family notices unusual bites, which may spread over larger areas, that they realize the culprit is the house ant.

Ms. Thu Que, who lives on the 20th floor of the Bac Ha apartment building on Nguyen Trai Street, Hanoi, always keeps her windows tightly shut. Even at night, she avoids turning on fluorescent lights, opting for soft yellow lighting instead. When visiting her home, the lighting is dim. Upon asking, reporters learned that in her building, many families had been affected by house ants flying into their homes, causing itchy skin reactions. She has three young children, the youngest being only two months old, so she has to be especially cautious about these ants.

These ants are attracted to light, especially during the evening. Additionally, the wind helps them travel, particularly in open fields and near rice paddies, enabling them to fly up to higher floors of buildings. The reason many people experience swelling is due to direct contact with the ants. The ants carry symbiotic bacteria containing toxic substances, which, when humans touch or rub against the ants and scratch, leads to exposure to these toxins.