UGA insect expert says Asian needle ants could be a hidden danger for some
If you've ever had a bad reaction to a bee sting or a wasp sting, there's another threat to watch out for this summer.
Channel 2's Lori Wilson spoke to the University of Georgia's leading insect expert about the Asian needle ant and its powerful sting.
'If you suffer from anaphylaxis, you know it. You carry an Epipen around. You probably should know what this ant looks like,' University of Georgia entomologist Dan Suiter said.
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'For a long time, it's flown under the radar. It's just, I tell folks, it's cryptic. It's kind of a hidden ant. It's an ant. Nobody pays attention to ants,' he said.
But at 1/16th of an inch long and shiny black, this ant is one to watch for.
Suiter said the stinger can pierce through clothing and has venom that can trigger anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction that can cause swelling of the tongue and throat and difficulty breathing.
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Asian needle ants crawling across US, now found in 20 states, sting cause life-threatening reaction
'I'm confident that people wind up in the emergency room in distress. They're rescued by the physician for anaphylaxis and never know what happened,' Suiter said.
He said they live in small colonies, leaf litter, in dead logs and things of that nature.
'And you'll see them kind of foraging around by themselves. That is odd for an ant. And so anything you pick up off the ground, turn it over before you carry it and look to see, make sure there's not these little black ants crawling around underneath it,' Suiter said.
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