Black Garden Ants: a Nip at Most
The black garden ant is the one on nearly every kitchen floor, and it does not sting. If a child sits on a nest or a toddler grabs a handful, the ants may nip with their jaws and spray a little formic acid, which can make the skin tingle or go red for a short while. It passes without treatment for nearly everyone.
Washing the area with soap and water and moving the child somewhere else is all that is normally needed. The bigger practical issue with garden ants is food: they walk over bins and floors and then over whatever they find on the worktop, so anything they have been at is best thrown away.
Red Ants Can Sting
The reddish-brown ants often found in lawns, under stones and in rockeries are usually Myrmica, and unlike garden ants they have a sting. It is small and feels like a sharp prick followed by an itchy red spot, a little like a nettle. Children playing on the grass and dogs lying on a nest are the usual victims.
- Wash the area and apply a cold compress to reduce swelling.
- Discourage scratching, which is what tends to make it sore.
- For itching or discomfort, a pharmacist can advise what is suitable for the child's age.
- See a GP if the area becomes increasingly swollen, hot or painful over the next day or two.
Call 999 for signs of a severe allergic reaction: swelling of the face, lips or tongue, difficulty breathing or swallowing, wheezing, sudden dizziness or collapse. Such reactions to ant stings are rare, but anyone who has reacted badly to an insect sting before should treat a red ant sting seriously.
Cats, Dogs and Smaller Pets
Dogs sometimes get stung on the nose or paws by red ants, and cats occasionally eat ants with no ill effect beyond a moment of surprise. Mild licking or pawing at the spot is common and settles. Swelling round the face, vomiting or any change in breathing is a reason to ring your vet straight away.
Caged animals, such as rabbits and guinea pigs in an outdoor hutch, can be bothered by ants in their bedding or food. Moving the hutch off a nest and keeping the food fresh usually solves it.
Ants in the pet food bowl
Pet food is a strong draw, especially if it is left down all day. Pick the bowl up once the animal has finished, wipe the floor round it with detergent to clear the trail, and try the old moat trick: stand the bowl in a wider, shallow dish of water. Ants will not usually cross it, and the pet can still eat normally.
What About Pharaoh Ants?
Pharaoh ants are tiny, pale tropical ants that live only in heated buildings. They are uncommon in houses, but where they do occur they can wander into places that should be kept clean, and they need bait rather than spray. If you see very small yellowish ants indoors in winter, ring rather than treat them yourself.
And the Treatment Itself?
That is a separate question from the ants. In short: gel baits are placed in cracks and out of reach, any residual treatment goes on the nest, entry points and outside wall base, and children and pets stay off treated areas until dry and as instructed on the day. Tell us at booking about children, pets, fish tanks and anyone vulnerable. The detail is on the page about ant treatment around children and pets, with more general guidance in the advice centre.