Socks, Not Sprays, May Ward Off Fire Ants

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A high pair of socks, rather than a bottle of insect repellent, may help protect children from the sting of fire ants, new research suggests.

The study found that tall socks could at least put up an obstacle for fire ants to overcome before they reached vulnerable skin -- though a pair of cotton tights would be better still.

Topical insect repellents, however, were no deterrent to the pests.

Fire ants are found throughout the southern U.S., and up to 60 percent of people living in infested areas are stung each year. The ants build mounds in the dirt that can reach more than a foot in height, and they are aggressive about defending their home turf. Because children often play outside, they are especially likely to be stung by the insects.

For most people, a fire ant sting causes an immediate burning sensation and blistering, swelling or redness at the site of the sting. Some people, though, are allergic to the insect's venom and can have serious, even fatal reactions.

Yet while there has much research into the best way to kill the ants, no study has looked into ways people can protect themselves from stings, according to Dr. Jerome Goddard, a scientist with the Mississippi Department of Health and the author of the new study.

For his study, Goddard exposed sock-covered dolls' legs to the fire ant mounds in his own backyard. He found that it took the angry ants some time to climb past the rim of higher socks -- which could buy children and parents time to brush the pests away before they inflict their stingers.

Cotton tights could be more effective still, Goddard notes in a report published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

He found that fire ant stingers were unable to penetrate socks or even thin tights, so the whole-leg protection of the latter could offer a particularly good fire ant defense.

But the same does not appear true of insect repellents.

Goddard tested a number of topical products -- including repellents containing the chemical DEET, camphor, pine tar or witch hazel -- and found that none discouraged fire ants from stinging.

This lackluster performance is not surprising, Goddard told Reuters Health. Unlike mosquitoes, which will pass on a repellent-wearing would-be victim, fire ants aren't looking to "feed" on their target. They attack because they are defending their colony, he explained, and chemicals will not stop them.

As for other ant-fighting measures, Goddard said it is futile to try to wipe out fire ants from a large property. But if a family has only a small yard -- and young children who could be stung -- spraying pesticide or using ant baits could be useful.

Parents, Goddard noted, should also try to keep their houses free of fire ants, as the pests aren't shy about turning up in living rooms and bedrooms.

SOURCE: Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, October 2005.