It was so quick that I didn't even feel the attackers leave their mark on me. It's the aftershock. The burning sensation in your skin that makes you look down. But you only see the swollen, red skin. They have already moved on.
Yesterday I was foolishly standing near a fire ant hill, when they found me. Now, I lay in bed trying not to itch the burning sensation that covers my right foot, but I eventually give in to the most glorious scratching-fest. I can't help it. When I have a scratch, I itch it. Bad move. Because after that one give-in, that one scratch, it's like Pringles: Once you pop, the fun don't stop.
After reading up on an article from the Medical University of South Carolina, I learned to process of the fire ant attack and why the sting is the worse part.
The ants will swarm onto a foot, for example, and after a signal the female ants will bite your skin, insert their stinger and inject the venom in, and quickly leave to a different spot to attack.
It is done so quickly that there is little pain, but the burn comes from the venom that is now flowing through your veins.
The article leaves some tips on how to treat fire ant bites, with the most important one : Don't scratch, because it can lead to infection and a slower healing process.
I wish I had stronger will power to resist the itch.
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