Invasive Ant With Painful Stinger is Working Its Way Towards MI

There's an invasive ant with a stinger and venom sac that hasn't been found (yet) in Michigan, but it's getting closer.

Over the years, the Asian needle ant has been found mainly in southern states like Georgia, Kentucky, Virginia, Florida and a few others. For the first time ever it was recently discovered in Evansville, Indiana. That's the furthest north that experts believe its ever traveled.

What makes this ant different from others is the fact that it has a painful stinger and venom sac.

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The ant isn't here in Michigan yet and it's not something to freak out about. According to The Detroit News for most people, stings from the Asian needle ant will not be harmful, just painful. But people who are hyper-allergic to stings from insects like bees or wasps should be prepared with treatment such as an EpiPen.

The ant can get into your home just like others but if you come into contact with this sucker and you get stung, it's going to hurt like crazy.

When looking at the ant from a distance, it looks just any other ant but if you get up close, you can see the stinger and venom sac. Some experts claim that the ants aren't out to sting you but they will if you force them to.

For now, it's not something that we need to even be concerned with since they're not in Michigan. However, they're making their way further north so it's only a matter of time.

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