Ouch sorry Gracie. Those little buggers hurt. I've used Neosporin cream not gel on them and it seems to help with itch and inflammation. Hope you feel better and watch carefully where you tread in the yard and garden. :(

Jane,

They are all year 'round Sometimes more than other, like now. But usually easy to spot. They make little sand mountains that you can "salt" with stuff you get at Lowes. Or you can call your lawn pest guy to do it. They don't really bother you unless you disturb them.

Please don't worry that they are like the gnats and the love bugs. We are anxious to get you down here full time so you can see that this place is really not all "buggy".

They are capable of killing small dogs

Read this article

and

Fire ants are deadly to small dogs! A member on another forum lost her little Maltese when he was attacked by fire ants.

When Fire Ants sting it is rarely only one sting. When Fire Ants attack, they attack in large numbers and when the first ant stings it triggers a reaction that causes all the ants to sting at one time. Unlike bees, ants can sting up to 20 times in succession injecting toxin with each sting.

Johnston County Fire Ant Home Page

Fire Ant Control Methods for Dogs, Cats, Ferrets, and Rabbits

Don't know if this will work or not...but when I was little my mom would make a paste of baking soda and water and apply to itches. Try this and see what happens.

JIMBO!

You could have gone all day and not said that. This article is from Texas and says something about red fire ants. The ones that bit me were blackish. I don't know if they are the same or not. They can easily be controlled in a space the size of a village villa backyard.

I have NOT heard of a death of a dog on here from fireants and this forum is filled with people who love their dogs. You don't want them bit, of course but can you imagine how saying something like that would make Jane feel? She loves her pets as much as you do.

Please someone who has dogs say something about fire ants.

I am going to get the squirt gun posse out.
(Admin has sent me a note to say that not all folks don't know I am teasing about the squirt gun posse. )

Just do a search "fire ants and small dogs" on Google, it happens a lot.

We have a Chihuahua, and being in Fl for the past 5 winters are very aware of these pests, I had our property sprayed a week before we arrive every winter.

My wife picked up his food dish without looking several years ago and was attacked all over her hand.

So folks should be kept in the dark sorry thems the facts and pet owners need to know the risks.

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Because I'm frequently at a horse farm in Weirsdale, I have been bitten a few times. Sorry to tell you, Gracie, the black ants bite worse than the red ones, although, both are horrible.

Like the other poster said, I stood on an ant hill and didn't realize it until they were up my legs heading for as high as they could go... (lol)... The stinging and burning was just horrible for weeks maybe even months and I literally had scars on my legs for a long time.

The owner of the farm gave me something that is ONLY sold at Walmart, called, Chiggerex Plus - in a small white plastic jar with red cap. Its for Chiggers, Ticks, and all bug bites. It was the ONLY thing that helped and I think I was applying it every hour or so. It does have benzocaine 5.0% in it along with aloe and chamomile. Send sweety out to get this right away, trust me, it will give you relief.

Many thanks. Kathie.

I know that they are nasty and I was trying to assure Jane that the ant hills can be controlled by a good pest service. I think Jane loves her dogs as much as you do, if it's possible.

I am still in recovery from the blind mosquitos in March when I stayed at our place, I will never forget that week in my life! I will be stocking up on fire ant killer, it is me against them, no one or nothing hurts my English and Irish Setters!!! I would rather be bitten. They are my canine kids.

Jane the ant killers in stores are just not as effective as an exterminators spray, it was 100% not one showed up, my neighbors that didn't spray had them.

Where we were they charged $30 to spray the entire lawn.
Don't know what that costs at TV.

Perhaps someone knows.

You're in a safer position with setters vs the 5-10lb pups.

Jane, I occasionally get fire ants around the property but I walk the lot a few times a month and as soon as I see a mound, I immediately call my Pest Control who comes out ASAP and treats the mound. His method was sooo much better than mine, I hired them with a total Pest control contract and just love them to death. Each visit is covered by the contract, so its a easy thing to do. Every month, a young man comes and sprays the whole yard and also fertilizes it and my lawn looks wonderful. About 3 or 4 times a year, I have the indoor guy come and spray everything inside including the lanai and garage, so that my doggies cannot get stung by a spider.

We don't get fleas in my house because my dogs never go outside except in my lanai and I keep that well treated. God Forbid, the King and Queen of the house should get a flea on them... OMG,,, they would never forgive me....

Thanks, I have Dean's pest control, I am dialing now....

Gracie, I hope you're feeling better by now :)

I was bitten several times when we lived in Ocala but...don't hate me...fire ant bites don't bother me and neither do mosquito or chiggar bites and poison ivy. I have no idea why but I'm o.k. with it! Now, those angry little hornets are another story.....but we won't go there! Whew....whelt city!!

As for dogs and fire ants here is my story...

We had a 3 pound Yorkie several years ago...he came in one morning and started rubbing his face along the base of the couch and the carpet.....I thought he was just rolling around like dogs do but I soon realized he wasn't. When he looked up my husband said he didn't look right, his face looked fat and not just fluffy....then his muzzle started looking bigger and fuller by the second....not his normal 1/2 inch long, narrow snout and button nose....I knew it was a matter of time before it could close his throat with the swelling. I threw my clothes on and called our vet while in the car. Thank God they were open that early! Luckily, his office wasn't too far from our house and he took us right in. He said he had been bitten in his nose by a fire ant, gave him 2 shots that stopped the swelling and reaction almost immediately and our little guy was fine :)

After that we decided to pour a concrete patio and set the fence poles in the concrete so we had a fenced concrete area he could go out on...that way I could see if there were any ants around before he went out.