I see them ever so often on concrete like on porch or something. Have you tried jewel weed to ease the itching? It has help me with insect bites.

This is the worst year for ants I have ever had! I went out to the garage to drag the trash can out and they swarmed up my leg and BIT ME! I grabbed some spray and nailed them, but there were thousands swarming and it looked like a huge caravan.

I have a ton of nests in the garden of those big boys. The basic Ortho stuff you shake on them doesn't seem to be working. I'm afraid I'm going to have to call in a professional or something because this is really out of control. Yikes!

For ant bites, I would suggest Cortaid or its equivalent - I have some sort of raging hives on my legs right now. I'm going to go raid the jewelweed too.

We live in a big century plus old brick house and ants seem to be quite fond of it---anyway---last year we tried all kinds of sprays and poison powders to no avail. This year we discovered those little ant traps---little black round plastic thingys---and they work fantastic!!! For example----just the other day we had a swarm of ants coming in the wall through to the kitchen counter----all over the dishes---yuck! I set out a couple of the little trap houses--they went in and that was it---in less than an hour---all gone!
It is called Hot Shot MaxAttrax ant bait. Kills them buggers quick---and not even tons of little dead ant bodies laying around to wipe up!!!! :-]
aunt lou

Thanks Tiffany...go figure?? on these ants. The bumps and itchies are gone now. I'd never been bit by ants before either.

Seems like I have lots and lots of ants in my gardens. (none in the house, thank goodness). They nest under the plants, here, there and everywhere.

...Beverly

I get bit by ants, and other critters in the garden and finally after frustration from itching I asked the pharmacist what to use and he suggested a gel called Itch X and also to take Benedryl along with it. I know I was skeptical about the effectiveness that taking an oral medication would be but the two together worked beautifully and I was able to get a good nights sleep!

Now I just have to take care of the ants that are coming into my home. I just purchased some of the HotShot MaxAttrax traps mentioned in a previous post, I'll see how well it works for me.

Be grateful that none of these buggers are fire ants (at least, they shouldn't be).

After three years here, I still do a fast instinctive check for swarming fire ants every time I'm working outdoors and feel a small pinch or twinge (in Texas, that could be a signal that a hundred or more ants have swarmed up your legs and are about to start stinging in unison).

I am working on my stings now with Benadryl and Gold Bond medicated cream. These bites become tiny pustules and I don't know if piercing them with a sterile needle is helping or hurting. Nothing seems to make them stop itching so far. Wish I had caught it when it happened.

We are being eaten alive by tiny red ants every night as we sleep. They have a nest somewhere outside on the south side of the house and come in the southern side and eat up any one with a bedroom on the south side of the house. We have a 4 month old baby covered with bites. Can someone tell me what kind of ants they are and what we can do to get rid of them. Nothing helps with the bites either.

I live in new mexico and i've been seeing lots of ant nest around the yard(and i mean swarms). three days ago i got bitten by some tiny red and black ants, at first they just itched but now they are red sploches forming and when touched they feel like if its a bruise. i have put all sorts of anti-itch cream and it dosent seem to help.any advice
(p.s. i've been told that some bites [ i think just ant bites] help bring up your immune system and can help lower you risk for artheritist when older,so its a possible upside :])

As members of the bee/wasp order, some ants can sting. If it's a big black ant with mandibles, and you felt a pinch, that is a bite. I know of two species of little red ant that can sting. The Imported Fire Ant is red, about 1/8 inch long with a dark reddish-black tail. They build sloppy dirt mounds and when you disturb it, they swarm very fast. Fortunately they prefer the outdoors, and can't survive north of the freeze line. Their sting develops into white pustules. Amdro bait granules work well on these guys. The other ones as far as I can tell are called Little Fire Ants, and they are about 2mm long. They don't move as fast, and some folks confuse them with Sugar Ants or Pharaoh Ants but they are not. I've caught them stinging my arms while I am sitting at the breakfast table. Their sting is a red welt that stays itchy for a week or more. They are much bolder about coming indoors, and often nest in potted plants. Terro is good on these. It is a solution of sugar water and borax. Takes a couple of days for them to poison the colony but with patience you can get rid of them.

help I'm invaded by tiny red ants on my kitchen counter I have tried spraying with Lysol w/bleach and the suckers still keep coming back. How do I get rid of these pests??

Cleaners or disinfectants like lysol or bleach won't deter them or kill the source. Read farther up the page for some effective baits/killers; some of the insect sprays work also to keep them out but there is the problem of exposure to insecticide.

Sunblock spray seems to keep them away i spray where ever they are in my kitchen. My 10 year showed me lol

every year we have issues with sugar ants on our kitchen counter. this year i mixed 10 tbsps sugar with 3 tbsps borax (20 mule team) and then put out milk bottle caps of this in the corners. took about 2 weeks to totally solve our problems.
don't have kids in the house so no issues with 'poison control' but wouldn't recommend if you have kiddos between 6 months and 16 yrs around.
diggerb

I live in SE Washington State and got bit by a tiny red ant while gardening this weekend. I apparently stirred up their nest when weeding because they swarmed out of nowhere. I felt one of them bite me, and was shocked because it was so little! Now it itches like crazy, and the bite wound is swollen and hard to the touch. I'm so grateful for GardenWeb because I thought I was over reacting. Now I see lots of people reporting about ant bites, and at least my mental state of mind is comforted. Take care, gardeners, and beware of those tiny little ants!

I grew up in Southeastern Ohio. Every summer I would accidently step into a nest of tiny red biting ants. You knew as soon as you stepped into them, they would start biting. Never had them in the house they were always outside. And yes, they can survive Ohio winters.

Maybe tiny red ants, but not fire ants. Fire ants cannot survive an Ohio winter.