Ant stings may be painful. Here's the best way to avoid getting stung this summer (and what to do should you do).

With summer just days away, lots of us will likely be looking forward to long sunny days on the beach, by the pool, camping or picnicking within the park.

Insects love summer too. This is when most of them Breeding and feeding. But this common definition of weather can sometimes result in conflict.

Insects have long been preyed upon by many species, including birds, mammals, amphibians, and other insects. As such, they've developed a wide range of defenses – perhaps none more familiar to humans than the sting.

Many ants have a stinger on the back end that they use to deliver their venom. It just isn't the sting itself that causes pain, but poison. Ant venom comprises a cocktail of various chemicals, a few of that are specifically designed to trigger pain by stimulating nerve endings in our skin.

Let's take a look at among the different ant stings you might experience in Australia this summer, and the best way to respond.

Bull ants

Bull ants (also called bulldog ants, jumper ants, or jack jumpers) are large for an ant. Some species can reach lengths of 4 cm. They are easily recognizable by their large eyes, long mandibles (jaws) and aggressive nature.

Their sting is immediate, hot, sharp and blunt, not unlike that of a bee. The intense pain will only last a couple of minutes, before being replaced by some redness and swelling across the sting site.

Green headed ants

Greenhead ants are also called (but to not be confused with) green ants. Green tree ant of northern Australia which doesn't sting). Green-headed ants are common, and love our grass lawns.

around 6 mm longthey're significantly smaller than bull ants. They may be identified by their shiny green and purple exoskeleton.

Green-headed ants are less aggressive than bull ants, but can still deliver a major sting. The pain of a green-headed ant sting can progressively increase, and cause a pointy, sticky pain.

Fire ants

Fire ants (or red imported fire ants) are originally from South America. First they were discovered In 2001 in BrisbaneIt was thought to have hitched a ride in shipping containers, and has since spread across south-east Queensland.

Fire ants are reddish brown and black and range in size from 2-6 mm long.

You usually tend to find fire ants of their nests, which seem like piles of powdered clay. Fire ant nests don't have clear indentations, which is an excellent option to distinguish them from other similar ant nests.

Disturbing a fireplace ant nest will unleash the wrath of tons of of ants and put you vulnerable to being stung.

The initial pain from a person sting is sort of a sharp, hot itch, though manageable. But fire ant stings are rarely in the one digits. One ant can sting multiple times, and multiple ants can sting an individual, causing tons of of stings. Fire ant stings may cause pus-filled ulcers and scarring for days afterward.

If you reside in an area where fire ants occur, it's value taking a couple of minutes to coach yourself about them. Identify and report. them

Electric ant

Electric ant Another dirty one is an accidental import, originally from Central and South America. Currently limited. Cairns and Surroundingsthese are small (1.5 mm long) yellow ants.

Like fire ants, these ants will often defend, so many will sting directly. Their sting is more painful than you would possibly expect from such a small creature. I liken it to being showered in red hot sparks.

If you're thinking that you see electric ants, you must report them. Biosecurity Queensland.

Australian ants aren't the worst.

You is perhaps surprised to listen to that Australian ants don't even make the rostrum for essentially the most painful ant stings. Among the prize winners are: Harvester Ant (North and South America) which causes an intense, sticky pain, which has been in comparison with a slowly rotating drill in your muscles – as much as 12 hours.

The gold medal goes to the sting of the bullet ant from South and Central America. has been described equivalent to:

Pure, intense, glorious pain. Like walking on burning coals with a 3-inch nail in your heel.

How to avoid getting stung (and what to do should you do)

Fortunately, the answer is normally quite simple. Before sitting on the bottom or laying out your picnic blanket, avoid areas where you see ant nests or plenty of ants.

The selection of footwear can be vital. In my experience, perhaps not surprisingly, most thong wearers are on the feet.

If you get stung, normally it's going to recuperate by itself. The pain often subsides after a couple of minutes (sometimes somewhat longer for green-headed ant stings). The redness, swelling and itching that sometimes follows can last for a couple of days.

In the meantime, if mandatory An ice pack The pain will help. If it's particularly bad, an area anesthetic cream containing lidocaine can provide some temporary relief. You can get it over-the-counter at a pharmacy.

A small proportion of individuals can have an allergic response to ant stings. In very serious cases this will likely include Difficulty breathing or swallow. If you or someone with you experiences these symptoms after an ant sting, seek immediate medical attention.