Holy crap----Man fatally bitten by fire ants that washed into his home.

[trumad]

This is about 20 miles from where I live..... What a way to die.

Tropical Storm Fay continued its deadly streak when a Chuluota-area man was bitten to death by fire ants that washed into his flooded home, authorities announced Wednesday.

<snip>
The storm's latest victim was described as a man "60-plus years old" who went into anaphylactic shock after receiving multiple fire-ant bites Tuesday morning. Because of flooding, rescue crews were delayed in reaching him. He was taken to a hospital, where he died that night, said Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/orl-flood2808aug28,0,4109528.story

[TexasObserver]

1. FYI try Benadryl or other anti allergy medicines in such instances.

[AlCzervik]

4. that does work but it sounds like this guy swarmed by them.

my daughter stepped on a small mound of fire ants when we lived in Texas, she was lucky and only ended with about 30 bites.

[Dorian Gray]

19. The same thing happened to me in the Phillippines

but I was brushing them off of clothing that they had crawled on. I had bites all over my hands, and they hurt!

[kestrel91316]

2. Early in my dad's USAF career we lived in Biloxi, MS when I was about 2.

I went outside one day with my toy broom and proceeded to try to sweep away a fire ant hill from our yard. My mom came out and found me screaming hysterically and being covered by the damned things and terribly bitten.

I have no memory of the incident, but I have often wondered if that is why I am to this day so extraordinarily sensitive to insect bites.......

You do NOT want to mess around with those suckers.

[LivinginLA]

12. My 2 year old daughter did the same thing!

Growing up in south Missippi, I saw her standing there and just started stripping her clothes off her in the front yard. I grabbed her and put her in the shower to get them off her. She ended up with over 30 bites on her head and face. We took her to the ER just to be on the safe side and I remember the doctor telling me young children and the elderly are so susceptible to these bites. Ewwwwww!

[givemebackmycountry]

17. LivinginLA

Just wanted to say welcome to DU!
Have fun in our little community.

Post often, read a lot, and most of all, have fun!



:hi:

[LivinginLA]

18. Thank you! n/t

[BreweryYardRat]

13. Something similar happened to me at about 4.

The first part's burned into my memory:

One of our cats -- strictly indoor kitties -- got out on a hot summer day, so I was trying to chase him down and get him back inside. Needless to say, a cat moves much faster than a 4-year-old, so he was out of sight and I was out of breath pretty fast. I remember sitting down on a huge pile of palm fronds (which had apparently become a HUGE nest), and I remember the first sting...

Fade to black.

...Next thing I remember is being in the shower with my mother pulling fire ants off of me. I may not get along with her now, but I damn sure appreciate her doing that for me then.

[karlschneider]

3. That sucks. Some people are hugely allergic to insect or wasp bites and should have an epi-pen

I carry one because I'm subject to anaphylactic attack from a couple species of wasps...not even all kinds and not fire ants or bees or even poison ivy but one sting from the wrong kind of wasp will nail me bad. So I carry one of these gizmos just in case...have not needed it -yet-, knock on wood
http://www.epipen.com/

[blm]

5. How awful. I noticed the ants are acting crazy the last 2 days here in NC after having their nests

flooded for 3 days straight. They brought all their eggs above ground and into cable boxes, electric boxes, and our realtor's info box.

[Bobbieo]

6. What a horrible way to die. Those stings are so painful!!! One bite can affect me for hours!!!

[musette_sf]

7. those fahr aints mean bidness!

i had one encounter with them that would have killed me had i been allergic.

whilst waiting to cross the street on classy Post Oak Boulevard in the classy Galleria area of Houston, i unknowingly stood with one foot in a fire ant hill in the "grass" at curbside.

my companions looked down at my foot and collectively freaked out.

since i didn't keel over and stop breathing immediately, they were somewhat reassured when i told them to go on over to the Mickey D's across the street (my original destination) which conveniently sold bags of ice, and get 3 big bags full.

i threw the ice in a party cooler and stuck my foot in it until the pain and swelling subsided.

that took about 2 hours.

i could not wear normal shoes on that foot for a month.

i hate fire ants.

[trumad]

8. Dude--- I love the way you write....

I mean it.

[musette_sf]

10. thank you

:blush:
i am flattered.

[trumad]

11. whilst---- I love that word...

and it shows your Jazz roots.

[benld74]

9. San Antonio 1988,

while on a trip, looking at still another Missions my wife wanted to see, and bored out-a my head, I began to walk around the Mission courtyard. In the grass further in the yard were 10 inch high signs, which I could not read from the sidewalk. I walked into the grass, bent over the sign and began to read, "Fireant Danger DO NOT stand in one loaction for a long period of time!"
I never moved so fast in my life!!!

[Pavulon]

14. Two words

RUP diazinon. If the ant from outer space ever take over I am going on trial....

In the mean time that stuff kills them dead.

[spin]

15. Fire ants have a neat battle plan...

they all crawl on your legs and at some unknown signal they all bite. You end up with a bunch of infected pustules on your legs.

The last time that happened, I stuck a stick in their nest, poured some gasoline and a little gun powder into the hole and lit them up. Sometimes I'm not real warm and cuddly.

[ba5500]

21. RE:

Nice!

[a la izquierda]

16. Poor guy!!! Sounds like a horror movie! n/t

[ba5500]

20. RE:

Scary shit

[amuse bouche]

22. This has happened to more than one elderly person in a nursing home