Needle Ants: Invasive Species, Poisonous Stings, and Anaphylaxis Risk

Oriental needle ants are not aggressive or defensive of their nests in the way that fire ants (Solenopsis) are, but they will provide a poisonous sting if they obtain caught inside human clothes or under a person’s hand. Individuals in influenced areas need to keep an eye out for these ants’ light-orange antennae and leg-tips, although it takes a skilled eye to favorably determine the species, according to the USDA.

Identifying Needle Ants: Key Characteristics

She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Southampton in England and a master’s level in science communication from Imperial University London. Creating, she delights in playing tennis, bread-making and searching used shops for surprise gems.

Eastern needle ants (Brachyponera chinensis) went relatively undetected for several years following their intro to the united state about a century ago, yet entomologists just recently recorded their spread from a handful of southeastern states to New England and the Midwest. Eastern needle ants can attacking many of The United States and Canada’s temperate woodlands, according to the united state Department of Agriculture (USDA), and with the springtime abounding period about to begin, there’s a chance that these ants might cause medical emergency situations backwards and forwards the nation.

Spread and Impact of Asian Needle Ants

Anaphylaxis is a severe, whole-body allergic reaction that takes place extremely quickly in some individuals after exposure to certain medications, foods or insect stings. There have actually been some control determines to restrict the spread of Asian needle ants, yet these initiatives are exceptionally expensive, according to the USDA. Oriental needle ants usually nest beneath logs, rocks and leaf litter, yet they may also be found in timber heaps. They do not create tracks like other ants but rather stroll alone and chaotically, Suiter claimed.

Asian needle ants are tiny, glossy, dark brown-to-black ants native to China, Japan and Korea. They were very first uncovered in the U.S. in 1932 complying with intro using delivery– but by that point they were already existing in a minimum of three southeastern states, according to the USDA.

Anaphylaxis Risk and Needle Ant Stings

Anaphylaxis is an acute, whole-body sensitive response that occurs really rapidly in some people after exposure to particular medications, foods or insect stings. Signs consist of a weak and quick pulse, a skin vomiting, nausea and rash, according to the Mayo Center.

Suiter claimed he recently saw an uptick in Asian needle ant stings. In 2024, he received 3 telephone calls from individuals that suffered anaphylaxis as an outcome of Oriental needle ant hurts– a high number compared with previous years, he informed Fox Weather.

Control Measures and Prevention

There have been some control measures to limit the spread of Eastern needle ants, yet these initiatives are incredibly costly, according to the USDA. Eastern needle ants generally nest below logs, rocks and ground cover, but they might additionally be discovered in wood piles. They do not create routes like other ants however rather walk alone and chaotically, Suiter said.

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Understanding the Threat of Needle Ant Stings

There’s no way to forecast who will certainly get anaphylaxis after an Asian needle sting, yet people that respond adversely to various other insect stings or carry an EpiPen ought to be specifically mindful of these ants, Suiter stated. No matter whether someone is susceptible to anaphylaxis, Asian needle ant hurts cause serious pain at the site of the sting, according to the USDA.

Ants are common parasites, yet “it gets a bit much more major when the sting of a pest can be life-threatening to individuals who experience anaphylaxis,” Suiter claimed. It is unclear the amount of individuals have passed away from Oriental needle ant stings worldwide and in the U.S. since their introduction.