You’re prepping lunch in your kitchen when you notice a trail of ants on your counter. Time to put out the ant traps! You don’t want them to end up in your cereal boxes and sugar bowl.
For one, an insect of any kind getting into your food is gross. Two, ants can carry in diseases from the outside world. In the question of are ants poisonous or if they can kill you, that depends on the species of ant.
Some of them can do some serious damage if you let them. Check out this guide to learn more about the danger level of ants.
Are Ants Poisonous?
The average ant that you call pest control services to take care of isn’t going to be poisonous. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t some poisonous species. Fire ants deliver a small amount of toxin but it’s not going to be enough to harm you.
The Maricopa ant can be quite deadly if you step into its colony because it’s quite poisonous. After a hundred sings or so, you’ll be down for the count.
Do They Contaminate Food?
Ants are more likely to contaminate your food supply than poison you. They move back and forth between the great outdoors and your home.
They crawl through countless amounts of germs and bacteria and deliver them right to your food. Sugar ants are the most notorious for this because of their attraction to sugar and grease.
Diseases They May Carry
There are a variety of different diseases that ants can carry into your home. E. Coli, shigella, salmonella, streptococcus, and staphylococcus are the most common ones.
So, if you see a bunch of ants crawling around in your kitchen, throw away any of your open food. They may not have contaminated it but it’s better to be safe than sorry later when your family is sick.
Other Ways Ants Can Harm You
There are other ways that ants can harm you that don’t involve your health. Carpenter ants can be deadly if your home gets infested with them. They will eat away at the wood and disrupt its structural integrity.
If you get covered in ants and enough of them bite you, it can cause anaphylaxis and eventually, death. Bullet ants have painful stings that can render you unconscious for a few hours due to the severity of it.
Get Rid of Your Ant Problem ASAP
Are ants poisonous? The likelihood of you running into a poisonous ant is slim but not impossible.
It’s much more likely that ants will enter your home and contaminate your food with bacteria. When this happens, you’ll want to deal with them ASAP to protect the health of your family.
Ants aren’t the only insects that can impact your health. Check out the health section of our blog daily for more articles like this one.
