Ant Bite Cures?

Updated on August 29, 2008
E.C. asks from San Antonio, TX
30 answers

I recently was reading cures for mosquito bites and was wondering if anyone knew if the salt trick worked for ant bites. My son is highly allergic and we struggle with the bites everytime he gets bit. I prefer not to use steroidal methods if I can catch them fast enough but...boys will be boys :). I plan on trying some of the other remedies offered. **THANKS**

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.P.

answers from San Antonio on

I have to agree with Melaleuca oil (which is tea tree oil), it does works wonders! Works great for most bites and helps prevent scaring, I love it!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.S.

answers from Houston on

My d.d. fell into a fire ant bed and was covered with bits for a few days. One was particularly bad, on her perfect little tush) so what we did was gave her her bath. Let her soad in the water. Then as we dried her off I got a q-tip and dipped it in peroxide. As soon as I touched the area the peroxide kinda popped the bite. All kinds of gunk came out and she was all healed by the next day! I swear by peroxide!!! Good luck.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.N.

answers from Houston on

Toothpaste....Just put some on the bites the coolness of the paste instantly makes them feel better and since it is a paste it stays on them for a while.

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.M.

answers from Houston on

My daughter swells up from bites! We use Chiggerex Plus which has chamomille and aloe vera (white plastic container w/ red lid) or Stingeze (yellow container w/ green lid). You can get both at WalMart. It does WONDERS in stopping it from itching and reduces the swelling very quickly!

Putting salt on a wound can "burn" the skin. Be careful.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

P.D.

answers from Houston on

E.,
As a Texas resident I understand, my duaghter has a similiar problem; while playing in our front yard my daughter found and ant pile. I swept and removed socks and shoes andbrushed ants away, she was crying my neighbor came over quickly having seen what happened. He had a bottle of bleach in his hand,a nd he reassured me this will help. He put just a bit in the cap and poured it over the bites, she smelled, but did not swell up or itch. I carry a small bottle now in the car and a package of q-tips, it works great.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.T.

answers from Victoria on

Mom use to make a paste out of baking soda and water and we would put them on our bites. It seemed to work and relive the pain. The powder drys and cracks off but it seemed to work.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.M.

answers from Houston on

I have not tried it, but I think it would make sense to use meat tenderizer mixed with water to make a paste. That is what you do if you get stung by a jellyfish. The meat tenderizer breaks down the proteins in the poison that the ant injects.

As for mosquito bites I use an antiseptic such as SeaBreeze (or a generic variety). This takes the itch out. My son knows he is not suppose to touch it himself. So, he goes, gets it and a cottonball, and then brings it to me to put on him.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.B.

answers from Houston on

Hey guys.. this is gonna sound insane, but its the best any bite cure i have found. go to the foot care isle look for absorbine jr its a green liquid in a slender tall glass bottle. It has a sponge applicator. I carry some in my bag when out. when they get a bite smear some on. in a few seconds it will be over finished done. Just dont let them itch forst or it may have a slight alcohol sting! that stuff is great and safe for all ages

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.P.

answers from Beaumont on

Witch hazel is a great natural cure for all kinds of bug bites, and sunburn, and irritanted areas that the skin isn't broken on.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B.D.

answers from Houston on

What works for me is hydrogen peroxide. I react heavily to those darned creatures too, so what I do is pierce the bite area with a sterilized needle and pour a little peroxide on it. After that, no more problems!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

H.J.

answers from Houston on

Bleach neutralizes the ant bite. Mix half bleach, half water, apply with a cotton swab.

And if you havent't seen it, liquid Benedryl in a stick works wonders on mosquito bites. The topical antihistimine is a great thing!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.H.

answers from Houston on

Hi E., if the ant/mosquito bites itch, I like Ivarest cream in a tube. You didn't request this but for scrapes, burns, bruises Burt's Bees Res-Q ointment is Great. (Used to be called Comfrey Ointment) My 85y/o mom fell and got pretty scraped up and bruised. Her hands and arms were almost black. The next day, they were only slightly bruised and normal by the 3rd day. HTH
ps. Is the "salt trick" a salt water bath or salt on the wound?

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B.C.

answers from San Antonio on

Morning E.;

Use WD-40 for those bites! The natural ingredient of WD-40
is fish oil! It'll take the itch out and help the healing!
B. C

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.F.

answers from San Antonio on

hi E., try just plain old mud!! put alittle mud in your hands add alittle water to make paste and put on area!! mud gets rid of sting and swellen !! this also works on bee and wasp sting!! hope this helps~~ god bless

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.S.

answers from Austin on

Hi E.! I am a mom of 3 too! Since you are avoiding steroids, it sounds like you would probably be interested in using the most natural, gentle substance available. We are talking about sensitive child skin here after all! :) I am a Melaleuca customer (if you haven't heard of this I can tell you all about it - it's great) and they manufacture household and personal care products based on natural ingredients, like especially tea tree (melaleuca) oil. For ant bites, I use Melagel and it takes away the itching and burning immediately and heals the bites very quickly. It is also very gentle to the skin.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.M.

answers from Houston on

I also have a son highly allergic to ants. When he gets a lot of bits we soak him in a epson salt bath. IF the he gets them on his feet we just soak his feet. We have found this to be our only real solution. It is NOT just salt it must be EPSON salt. It has made life much easier and plus Epson salt is cheap.

Mother of 7 but highly allergic to ants too

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

N.S.

answers from Houston on

I swear the best thing for any kind of bite, rash, is toothpaste. Use the white kind, not the gels. Just smear it on like you would calamine lotion. Yeah you have spots on you, but the itching stops and the paste dries it up. It will even work is you have a nasty zit or boil that won't pop or clear up. It's great for bedtime so that you can quit itching and get some sleep. When you wake up it's much much better!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.H.

answers from San Antonio on

Hi E.,

My son has the same problem. But since we started using essential oils he no longer has ANY reaction at all! He used to be afraid to even go outside in the grass or go to the park but now since using Lavender Oil he is fine and it really works! Not only for bug and ant bites either. I use it to repel mosquitos and so much more. Just a dab will do it... ea. bottle has approx. 250 applications. Check out this website and let me know if you would like to try it. I say by expeirence it WORKS!

http://www.oil-testimonials.com/7532

Click on Search and type in your question. You can also read my own testimonies.

Take care and let me know if you have any questions. <><

One more thing...yesterday I was at a friends house and was totally attacked by mosquitos. When I got home I simply rubbed my lavender oil on by legs and I have not had any itchy feeling. I LOVE these oils! All natural and no harsh chemicals!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.W.

answers from Houston on

aloe vera is supposed to work. just break off one, open it, and put the pulp on the bite.

antiperspirant with aluminum is also supposed to help.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

N.F.

answers from Houston on

Vitamin E Oil!!! It is amazing. Go to GNC or somewhere like that & by the "pure" Vitamin E Oil Capsuls. When you need one poke or cut a tiny hole in it and put it on the ant bite. If you catch them early enough they will never come up. This also works all cuts, scrapes, diper rash, etc. I have started giving them at baby showers because it works so well. My 6 & 4 year old little boys now ask for Vitamin E everytime they have something happen to them.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.D.

answers from Longview on

Have you tried olive oil? We use it everytime one of us gets bit by fire ants. My grandmother came to visit (she lives in non-fire ant territory) and got bit several times. Her arm swelled up like a ballon. The next time it happend we put olive oil on it and she had just regular bites. I have used it on myself and it really helps the swelling and the sting.

Another thing that helps is meat tenderizer. It breaks down the proteins of the sting. Just get a cotton ball damp, sprinkle some on and tape it to the bite. I use this all of the time for bee stings.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

G.D.

answers from Houston on

Amonia applied with a cotton swab is good. If you do not have amonia try spraying the bite with windex which has amonia in it.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.C.

answers from Austin on

We have the same problem with my 5 year old daughter. Really bad reactions to ant bites. We give her benadryl chewables to help with the swelling and allergic reaction and use kids afterbite cream or cortizone cream to help with the blistering (which can sometimes get to the size of a quarter and 1/4 in high). We have had alot of success with these aleviating her discomfort and helping with the swelling. Her poor little ankle was purple last weekend from 2 tiny bites at the back of her foot. Happened on Friday, but gone by Monday, just in time for Kindergarten!

D.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

R.C.

answers from San Antonio on

I have heard that Arnica works to bring down swelling and stop irritation. It comes in both cream and ointment to apply topically and can be found at natural food stores such as Whole Foods and Sun Harvest...as well as some local independent vitamin/herb/supplement retailers. A good brand is Boiron. Hope this helps!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

O.C.

answers from Austin on

Good morning,

We make a paste and have it around all the time and works wonders,
Before this, we used "Baking Soda", and also the penny.
Now we use the Natural No side effect paste from Garcinia Mangostana, and works alot better.

I have 2 granddaughters, ages 4 and 5, they get ants, mosquito and little spider bites, the first thing we do is apply this paste and itch goes away, pain goes away.
God is Great sending us all this fruit, it is up to us to use them naturally.

Good luck,
Oly

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.M.

answers from Houston on

Melaleuca oil works wonders- even took the sting out of fire ant bites when I was covered in them! I couldn't believe how it completely negated the burning/itching IMMEDIATELY!

It is a direct sales company, but I don't sell it. I have a friend who does, and I've also seen a couple ladies on here suggest it also if you're interested.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.O.

answers from Houston on

My daughter gets bites like these all the time, whether they are ant bites or mosquito bites, they swell up big time as soon as the bite occurs. I have bought an External Analgesic First Aid Antiseptic "stick", if you will, that looks sorta like the Tide stick. It is made by Cutter and says BiteMD on it. It has benzocaine and phenol in it. As soon as she gets a bite, we put it on there and it helps them tremendously. She usually doesn't have any indication that there was any bite at all on the spot, only occasionally, like if she is still scratching it or rubbing it. My sis-in-law got my first one from Krogers but I'm pretty sure that Walmart sells them too. It's my life saver, I carry one in my purse at all times, and keep one at home too.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.G.

answers from Houston on

My Grandaughter was biten by fire ants, by the nurses recommendation she suggested the following. Apply Benadryl cream to the area when area shows dryness then use Neosporum, Barbara

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.D.

answers from Houston on

I use meat tenderizer mixed with a bit of water to make a paste for mosquito and bee or wasp bites. Works very well. I'm not sure, but will probably work with ant bites also.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.V.

answers from Houston on

Last summer my son got in a bed of fire ants and had bites up and down both legs. My neighbor went in and got a couple Advil Liquigels, cut them in half and we squeezed the gel out and put on the bites. Within five minutes my son was playing again and the bites were completely gone. Unbelieveable stuff.

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions

Related Searches