Bite from invasive ant sent woman to ICU

A tiny invasive insect is posing a potentially deadly threat to people prone to severe allergic reactions, and experts say now is the time Georgians are most likely to encounter them.

The Asian needle ant, known for its painful sting, has spread quickly across the U.S., and is now in Georgia.

Susan Simon has been stung three times. She just got back from a trip to the ICU after she was stung on her hand.

It happened In the DeKalb County community of Brookhaven.

“You won’t know if you’re allergic to it until you’re stung,” Simon said. “And I think that’s frightening.”

She said the first sting caused her to lose consciousness despite initially trying to manage the reaction with Benadryl.

“My family was here to help, thank goodness,” she recalled. “I lost consciousness, and they actually caught me as I was going down.”

The ants are small — only about 3/16 of an inch — and resemble ordinary black ants. That’s part of what makes them so dangerous.

Even Simon’s allergist initially didn’t recognize the insect behind her reaction.

The Asian needle ant was first documented in Georgia in the 1930s but remained largely undetected for decades.

Daniel Suiter, an entomologist at the University of Georgia, says they are difficult to track because they don’t trail like many other ants. They thrive in leaf litter and rotting wood and are only now starting to receive scientific attention.

“The fact that I got three calls last year from people who suffered anaphylaxis tells me it’s kind of the tip of the iceberg,” Suiter said.

Suiter said while some people may not experience severe reactions, those who are allergic to fire ants, bees or wasps could be at serious risk of anaphylaxis.

That includes Simon, who has since hired an exterminator but hopes for a safer, pet-friendly solution.

“I don’t know what we can do about it, except just stay away,” she said.

Suiter recommends that anyone with a known allergy to insect stings carry an epinephrine auto-injector, especially when spending time outdoors.