Do Ants Bite?

A Guide on Ant Biting.

Well to start off with all ants bite regardless of shape and size. They have mandibles which make it perfect for them to bite you at any time. The only thing that maybe different is the type of species as some are more aggressive than others at biting. Some ant species are so hostile they will try to bite you even though you are a giant to them.

Ant Bite vs Stinging.

Before we carry on with this guide, let us talk about the two different ways in which an ant can hurt you. Biting and stinging are totally different from one another. An ant biting will involve the ant using its mouth mandibles. These are the claw looking features from the ant’s mouth. These will be able to pinch into your skin and cause a small cut or wound. Usually the wound or cut from an ant bite is not normally visible to the naked eye.

Some species of ants are able to bite on the prey and then spray acid into the cut or wound. This is known as formic acid. Formic acid is not too dangerous as what you would find in a snake’s venom, however, it can cause skin irritation, discomfort and even blisters and swelling.

Ant stinging usually happens when the ant decides to use the southern part of the ant known as the gaster. This is the pointy end of an ant. The sting can contain venom or even worse. There are some species of ants in the world that can first bite you and then inflict the sting.

Which Species of Ants Can Really Bite.

So now you are wondering which species of ants bite?. Well please note that not all ant species can cause you harm. However, there are some species that are very well known to bite and fight back. According to the internet here are some of the ant species that can bite you.

Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants have very large claw mandibles used for piercing wood, they can use these sharp pinchers to inflict cuts and wounds on humans. Carpenter ants can come in a wide range of different colours these include red, orange, yellow and even black. Carpenter ants grow from anything up to 1 inch long. You can normally tell if they are carpenter ants as they usually nest near woodland or even inside abandoned termite nests.

Acrobat Ants

This species of ants known as Acrobat ants can grow up to .20 of an inch. They have the ability to raise the gasters in the air and spray nasty odours that can repel predators and even us humans. Although this species behaves very oddly you can usually make them out by they strange heart shaped gasters. Although this species can be pretty laid back, upon being threatened the worker ants can turn hostile. This species of ants can not only bite you but can also sting.

Pavement Ants

This species of ants known as pavement ants are a very common species around the world and can become pests to homes. You can easily recognise pavement ants as they are thin and long. They have lines running from the head of the ant all the way to the gaster. Pavement ants can sting and bite when they are threatened. They are so aggressive that they will take out other ant colonies that are living near them.

Fire Ants

Our finally ant species in the list fire ants. This species of ant is on a totally different level to all the other ants listed above. Fire ants usually have a red body but sometimes black. They grow to about the size of .05 to .2 of an inch. Fire ants can not only bite but have a very long stinger at the back which is like being stung by a wasp.

Fire ants attack using their jaws and stingers at the same time. Compared to other ant species, this type of ant species can give you nasty pain from the sting. They will grip on with their large mandibles and then repeatedly sting you.

The venom in fire ants will give you a horrible burning sensation. The bitten areas will also become swollen and blister which can also lead to scarring.