How To Treat Fire Ant Bites

Its fire ant season over here at our house again. I have tried so hard over the years to get rid of them from our property but every year they seem to keep coming back. Ugh!!!
 
For a lot of people, red ants are not a big deal. However, over here at our house, I have a few kids that have a real hard time remembering to put on their shoes before they run all over the yard. 
 
Inevitably, I will hear one of kids crying as they run towards to the house looking for relief from a fire ant bite, which I know from experience is extremely painful. 
 
Usually by the sound of the cry, I instinctively know what has just happened. I will run and grab a few things that I know are going to make them feel better before they come through the door. 
 
The first thing I use is straight lavender directly on the affected area. Lavender is one of those essential oils that are just fine to use straight out of the bottle. Most oils you cannot do this with but lavender is one that you can. It has soothing properties and also pain-relieving properties which is why it’s the first oil I think of when I have a crying child in pain sitting in front of me. 
 
After that I grab our green salve which is loaded with healing herbs and essential oils that helps with the pain. In fact, it’s the one thing my kids specifically ask me to grab when they are hurt or get a scrape. “Get the green salve” is a common phrase in our house.
 
The last thing I grab is a homeopathic medicine designed specifically for bug bites and stings that I can give orally to help with pain. In fact, in writing this I had to reorder since I didn’t have any this morning when little Rachel got bit by the first red ant of the season. 
 
Something else you can do is get a cold compress and place where the bite was. I feel like this helps to distract and quiet the burning for the other things to start working. 
 
If all that doesn’t work you can also try apple cider vinegar as the acid composition counteracts the venom.
 
Summer season if full of outdoor fun but around here it is also filled with fire ants. As long as I am prepared with all the items above (and maybe if my kids can remember to wear shoes) we are going to have a great summer!