Some fire ants snacked on Emily's arm the other day.  We have lots of them around here, and while they don't go looking for you to hunt you down and eat you, they do feel welcome to sting if you cross their path or disturb their home. 

I don't know if the ants sting because they feel threatened, or if they are just mean.  The get ahold of their victims with their jaws mandibles, then pivot around the bite location to sting repeatedly. It is mildly painful to have one sting, but to have several, or, God forbid, hundreds of them all at once is awful!

These fire ants were climbing up a post, and Emily leaned on it.  In less than seconds she had ants moving quickly up her arm.  Emily hollered to her chivalrous, manly friend, Brandon, to help her get the ants off.  By the time they had cleared them, she had at least a couple dozen stings. 

Her mosquito bites swell to the size of a nickel or bigger.  (No, we don't have mosquitoes here, not many.  These were Missouri mosquitoes. Foreigners.)  Looks to me like she is mildly allergic. Fire ant stings normally look like this.  But look at these things.  This was several hours later. (You'll have to use your imagination. My photography skills are right up there with my helicopter mechanic skills.)  The next morning even her face was swollen.

What I want to know is, might this be a good indication that she is also allergic to bee stings??  Should I be carrying Benadryl everywhere we go?

The sting of death is sin;
1 Cor. 15:56