2 days ago
Asian needle ant's sting left Massachusetts man feeling sick: "I could feel the pain spreading."
Man says he was stung by Asian needle ant near his backyard pool
Man says he was stung by Asian needle ant near his backyard pool
Man says he was stung by Asian needle ant near his backyard pool
A Massachusetts man said the sting of an Asian needle ant left him feeling sick. The invasive insect has been spreading across the U.S., and experts say their venomous sting can potentially be deadly.
Norman Chipman was cleaning his backyard pool in Bridgewater in June when he felt a pain in his hand.
"I didn't really pay attention to it until it kept stinging me," he said. "That's when I looked down and saw that it was an ant."
Painful sting
He shook the ant off and kept going about his business - but the sting kept hurting.
"I could feel the pain spreading a little bit throughout my hand," Chipman said. "After about 20 minutes I started to just not feel well. I got a little bit of a headache, just felt lethargic."
He said he continued to feel sick the next day, but has felt fine since then.
Chipman said it was a "good-sized" ant, and he fished more out of his pool. He said pest control company Terminix confirmed he had Asian needle ants on his property.
"I thought, this might be the one of those needle ants that are showing up on my Facebook feed," he said. "When Terminix came out, he looked at it and said, 'yeah, that looks like what we've been told about.'"
The invasive Asian needle ant.
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Asian needle ants
A Terminix scientist told WBZ-TV that Asian needle ants are outcompeting native ants in local ecosystems, and reports of them in the northeast are on the rise. They say the ants prefer wet areas like pools, and homeowners should limit moisture around their home by checking hose faucets and air conditioning for any leaks.
A U.S. Forest Service report from 2021 says the ants are "beginning to cause problems in North America." It said the most troubling characteristic of the invasive species is their sting.
"While they are not terribly aggressive, like the more familiar red imported fire ants, their stings are painful, often affecting different people in different ways," the report said. "In fact, the sting can result in life-threatening anaphylaxis, an acute allergic response."
People who are sensitive to ant or bee stings should always keep an epinephrine auto-injection device on hand, experts say.
"Unfortunately, as with many invasive species, it appears Asian needle ants are here to stay," the Forest Service said.
