Bull Ant Bite

[Goldie]

Got bitten by a bull ant on the weekend and had a nasty allergic reaction to the bite. Had two days off work and course of antibiotics.
Would be grateful if anyone has any home remedies, repellent or ideas on how to deal with these little pests. 8.(

 

[Beagleboy]

I copped a bite once and it hurts. Luckily no alergic reaction. I just put some ice on it to stop the burning. It went away quick.

 

[belladonna]

Got bitten by a bull ant on the weekend and had a nasty allergic reaction to the bite. Had two days off work and course of antibiotics.
Would be grateful if anyone has any home remedies, repellent or ideas on how to deal with these little pests. 8.(

Did the medicos say anything to you about what to do next time ?
Hopefully there won't be a next time but it may be useful to carry some antihistamine tablets with you ( as long as you are not allergic to them) and something topical like stingoes to relieve the pain.
Check with the local chemist or your Dr as they will be able to give you good advice.
Hopefully it will never happen again

 

[G0lddigg@]

Use a bit of eucalyptus oil oil mate, its cheap enough should be in every first aid kit i reckon, its an inflammatory, antiseptic, anti-bacterial analgesic. With bites if you put a dab on your bite then rub it into the skin it will burn a little bit but it will draw some of the water out of your skin, put some hot water on a face cloth and press down on the bite the steam should open the pores in your skin and help the bite toxin to come out. works for just about anything. I should add it actually keep mozzies away as well.

Nothing worse than a bite wrecking your day, then again there's smelling like a hippy

 

[Heatho]

Got bitten by a bull ant on the weekend and had a nasty allergic reaction to the bite. Had two days off work and course of antibiotics.
Would be grateful if anyone has any home remedies, repellent or ideas on how to deal with these little pests. 8.(

You need an EpiPen to carry with you when near Bulldog Ants (Myrmecia) if you had such a nasty reaction, especially the smaller Jack Jumper type. My mate got stung by a couple of them on his property and his throat started swelling up and the sting site was horrendously swollen, like a cricket ball in his leg after 5 minutes. I was there and was very close to having to take him to hospital.

Jack Jumpers (Myrmecia Pilosula) are actually so dangerous there is an antivenene that was developed to treat the stings of people who go into anaphylaxis, some people do almost immediately. Some people are badly allergic to them and some are not.

 

[G0lddigg@]

Got bitten by a bull ant on the weekend and had a nasty allergic reaction to the bite. Had two days off work and course of antibiotics.
Would be grateful if anyone has any home remedies, repellent or ideas on how to deal with these little pests. 8.(

You need an EpiPen to carry with you when near Bulldog Ants (Myrmecia) if you had such a nasty reaction, especially the smaller Jack Jumper type. My mate got stung by a couple of them on his property and his throat started swelling up and the sting site was horrendously swollen, like a cricket ball in his leg after 5 minutes. I was there and was very close to having to take him to hospital.

Jack Jumpers (Myrmecia Pilosula) are actually so dangerous there is an antivenene that was developed to treat the stings of people who go into anaphylaxis, some people do almost immediately. Some people are badly allergic to them and some are not.

Shite! ive never heard of someone having a reaction like that, when we were bastard little kids we used to throw fire crackers down the jumping jack holes between the goal post of our local footy ground (payback for getting bitten on the field all the time). they'd land all over us bloody bites everywhere hurt like buggery but nothing like your mate.

 

[Heatho]

Hehe, yeah he got revenge on that nest too with a pack of 60 bungers from Canberra. But yeah seriously some people can die quite quickly, I have another mate in bush regeneration who gets stung regularly and does'nt get much more than red skin at the sting site.

Depends on the type of Bulldog Ant and the person, there are about 60 different types of Myrmecia. Did a bit of reading on these after my mate was stung. They are actually the deadliest ant on the planet, typical of Australias nasties.

Great video on them here.

[video=480,360]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lkjxjDZiI8[/video]

 

[G0lddigg@]

haha little psycho's

 

[Heatho]

Us or the ants, lol.

 

[G0lddigg@]

yeh I suppose I was an angry little prick when i was 10

 

[Redmanti]

Last time I used the Highbanker I got a bush tick on me for nearly 2 days. Head got stuck in. Nasty bugger.

Ichthammol Ointment helps if is an open wound and itchy. Stops the itch and helps the infection.

 

[bignev]

bloody hell

another one to add to the watch out list

snakes
sharks
jellyfish
crocadiles
blue ring octopus
stonefish
scorpion fish
and now bull ants

 

[Guest]

Aboriginals used a drop of juice squeezed out of some Bracken fern, Yes it is poisonous but a drop on a bite is ok.

 

[loamer]

From Austin Health - Melbourne.

Ants

If you have previously had a serious allergic or anaphylactic reaction to an ant bite: you should consult your doctor about the need for you to carry adrenaline for use in the event of a bite.

If you have been bitten inside the mouth or throat: ring 000 for an ambulance.

If you have been bitten by an ant and have previously had a serious allergic or anaphylactic reaction to an ant bite you should follow these steps:

Ring 000 for an ambulance
Administer your adrenaline if you have been instructed to use it in this situation
Lie down; do not stand or walk about
Wait for the ambulance
If you have been bitten by an ant and have NOT previously had a serious reaction to ant bite you should follow these steps:

Wash the bitten area with soap and water
Apply a cold pack to the area to relieve pain and swelling
If there is persistent or severe swelling and/or itching, take antihistamine tablets for 1-3 days
Antihistamines are available from pharmacies without a prescription. The pharmacist will be able to recommend one suitable for you.
Even if you have never been bitten by an ant before, watch for the following symptoms, they may indicate a serious allergic or anaphylactic reaction, which requires urgent medical attention:
red blotches on the skin or an itchy rash over the body
swelling in parts of the body away from the stung area, especially the lips and around the eyes
feeling faint, light-headed or dizzy
breathing difficulties such as wheeze or shortness of breath
chest tightness.
Dangerous ants in Victoria:

Jumper or Jack Jumper Ant (Myrmecia pilosula)
Bull or Bulldog Ant (Myrmecia pyriformis)
Green-head Ant (Rhytidopenera metallica)
"Blue Ant" (Diamma bicolor) (this is actually a type of wasp).

See link for treatment for anything that bites and stings in Victoria - very good site.

http://www.austin.org.au/page?ID=534

 

[belladonna]

Thanks Loamer that is a great site, very interesting.
Donna

 

[Pr2cv]

I think this page of first aid for bites should be made a sticky

Thanks for all the advice , posters.

Pete

 

[casper]

I think this page of first aid for bites should be made a sticky

Thanks for all the advice , posters.

Pete

i second that!

casper

 

[Goldie]

Thanks for all your advise and comments, much appreciated. Some really good tips and suggestions. Going to put together a medic pack with some of your suggestions for emergencies. Not the first time I was bitten, seems each time the reaction is getting worse.

Someone told me to use (don't laugh) WD40 on the bite. Any one else heard of this remedy? - probably work well in the rain as my joint won't cease up. lol
:lol:

 

[Heatho]

Thanks for all your advise and comments, much appreciated. Some really good tips and suggestions. Going to put together a medic pack with some of your suggestions for emergencies. Not the first time I was bitten, seems each time the reaction is getting worse.

Someone told me to use (don't laugh) WD40 on the bite. Any one else heard of this remedy? - probably work well in the rain as my joint won't cease up. lol
:lol:

Seriously mate, you need to add an EpiPen (adenaline injection) into that medical kit, as it seems you are quite at risk if stung again. Any Doctor should happilly give you a prescription for 1. Can literally be the difference between life and death, for some people these ants are as deadly as a Taipan.

In the vid I posted near the end the Doc is testing his Vaccine and the guy who received the placebo in the double blind test started going into anaphylaxis in less than 2 minutes after a test sting.

WD40 is great stuff but not for this.

 

[Marked]

I second Heatho on his advice about the epipen if your reactions are getting worse each time - I know my grandmother spent a lot of time on river banks following my hunting/trapping/fishing Grandfather around and was bitten that often that she has developed an anaphylactic reaction if she gets bitten now - you don't want the first serious reaction to be your last.