People who are severely allergic to fire ant venom can die from just a few stings due to anaphylactic shock. However, very few people are severely allergic to fire ants, probably less than 1% of the total population.
For most nonallergic people with healthy immune systems, it would take a very large number of stings for the attack to be lethal. This could happen if a person came into contact with a nest or large number of workers and was unable to escape (small children, invalids, etc.).
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Find more information about fire ants in eXtension's Imported Fire Ant Resource Area.
