Things that try eating you when out and about

[nudewalker]

Our latest is not all that dangerous just annoying. If the link works then you'll understand. I found four of these icky things on me yesterday but on closer inspection saw they were not tics. A person at the launch area had one and panicked before I removed it and explained the difference. Another bystander informed us of the television piece and I finally found it.
http://www.wtae.com/news/imposter-bug-mistaken-for-ticks/26767916
In the grand scheme Nuduke; I would not let a few parasites or bacteria keep me from enjoying the great outdoors. In fact with some care I doubt there is much to worry about just don't drink the water in fact don't submerge your head. Avoid it if you have any open wounds but in a cold clear stream I doubt if any pathogens could survive frigid water so go for it!

. . . ticks can be warded off by eating lots of raw garlic (along with everyone else!)

Karla, I hope you meant warding everyone else off and not eating everyone else! 
I have heard elsewhere about the benefits of raw garlic. Couldn't hurt, especially if you like garlic. Yummm.

I can't talk about the brain eating amoeba that climbs up your nose though.

Naegleria fowleri. It loves warm water. There are hot springs in this area with warning signs posted about this little bugger see here. Nasty, creepy and sad when you read about a young kid dying from it, when all he was doing was playing in the water.

Jbee, you might want to go to a quick care and have that checked. Even though the body has a defense for things getting in to your ear, bugs can carry parasites.

Duane

I can only say that my diet is rich in garlic and I have only had a few instances where tics have tried to find a meal, usually on the area around the top of my socks. Since we both eat the same diet there have been no complaints from the wife. Maybe that is the key Karla! If everyone else stays away there will be more area to explore naked.

[jbeegoode]

Jbee, you might want to go to a quick care and have that checked. Even though the body has a defense for things getting in to your ear, bugs can carry parasites.

Duane

She had it taken care of. All well and good. Thank-you.
Jbee

[eyesup]

I can only say that my diet is rich in garlic and I have only had a few instances where tics have tried to find a meal . . .

I’ve heard tell from points south (US centered) that:
Fruits which contain capsaicin (methyl vanillyl nonenamide) that lipophilic chemical that produces a strong burning sensation.

You know, that hot stuff when you eat peppers,  has a similiar effect. Whether that is true I don't know and don’t care, as I love chiles also.

Duane

[jbeegoode]

They are great for gut critters I've been told. The things that cause Montezuma's Revenge. If they work on the outside pests, the skin wouldn't smell as much. Garlic can seep out of pores in great evidence, causing many humans to stay away.
Jbee

[eyesup]

My sister is a RN. Has been for a long time. She always claimed that she never saw anyone from Mexico with a cold. She believed it was because of the peppers. Swore by it.

Could be just urban legends. As I said, I don't care, I would eat the peppers if they had no medicinal value at all.

Duane

[Karla]

I used to grow superhot chillies. I don't have any space to grow anything at the moment but at least in Germany I had a balcony. I actually have enough sauce made to last me a few years because a dollop the size of a pea will turn a cheese and ham sandwich into a vindaloo sandwich! I only bought two plants back with me from Germany. A Carolina reaper which is sitting in my mother-in-law's garden recovering from a lack of sunlight after staying on my windowsill. And what I think may be a mutant chocolate Bih Jolokia.

[eyesup]

I've read articles on the benefits of capsaicin and the Indonesian and African peppers are among the hottest in the world.

We grow 4-5 different varieties for seasoning and cooking. Hottest we grow is the Habanero: 150,000-325,000 units.
The Reaper and the Jolokia are nos. 1 & 2 respectively in Scoville units.

FYI:
The most common hot pepper, the Jalapeno is rated 2500-8000 units
Jolokia: 1,020,000 - 1,578,00 units
Reaper: 1,210,000 - 2,100,000 units

Commercial grade pepper spray: 2-3,000,000 units
Police grade pepper spray: 5,300,000 units

Yikes!

Duane

[Davie]

Its flies and mossies that try to get me, plus one waspie thing that targeted that most sensitive part of maleness. Fortunately I had some cream and I bathed in cold water to reduce any swelling and all was well thankfully.

I forgot my jungle formula stuff the other day and got attacked by flies but one worrying moment was when a swarm of bees descended on were I'd stopped. I ran off post haste.

I'm always a bit wary now of bracken with the potential for ticks and unless the water is clear I avoid getting my mouth below the surface. Indeed in New Zealand the advice in hot springs is to avoid ingesting any of the water as there is a risk of meningitis.

Take care all

Davie 

[jbeegoode]

Hot springs here in the southwest also have warnings about ingesting any of the water as there is a risk of meningitis. The bacteria can also get in through ears and eyes and live in 115F degree water. There is controversy about them swimming up other body orifices.
Jbee

[nudewalker]

With all the rain (about 15 inches from June 1) many of the lakes have posted E-Coli warnings or algae bloom warnings. All the runoff from the rain has overtaxed the infrastructure and allowed for unsafe conditions for the infants, elderly and those with low immune systems. When I finish catching up on all my missed reading I'll post my latest trip report with more detail.

[jbeegoode]

I just thought of one. Gila Monsters are generally subdued, slow moving unless attacked or handled, and just stare back as I stare at them. They are fascinating and a welcome sight, easy to detect. I provoked, however, they have a wide jaw. The jaw locks once the bite is made. I'm told that there is no getting them off of an appendage, unless you murder one and cut and pry it off.
This guy is funny:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt36pxSJF0c
I thought that this guy was nuts crawling around in that prickley pear with the cholla right there. That was the real danger. After looking a little further I found this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv10wFGx4kA
The jumping cholla is the worst. Imaging being out alone with one of these You can't grab it without getting the other limb STUCK. You have to beat/brush it off with a stick. If not done just right, all you do is get it more stuck, or move it to another location on the body. The poison continues for quite a while. Think of this problem on your back or caught with clothing compounding the problems. Those little red prickly pear hair like needles are the worst. They poison, they break off, they collect instantly and they are instant multitudes, all poison.

I might add that Bell Ranch is a residential subdivision of approximately one acre lots, no "rancher." AND a leather hat on a hot humid monsoon day?!? Funny guy. I'd bet that he is still getting pricked by residual prickers buried in that backpack.
 Jbee

[eyesup]

Gila Monsters are generally subdued, slow moving unless attacked or handled, and just stare back as I stare at them.

My sister knew a guy, when she was in college, that had a Gila monster as a pet. I am assuming the poison glands had been removed. She said the 1st time she visited his apartment she thought it was a stuffed animal. It was sunning on the windowsill as she sat on the couch next to it.

While she was looking at it, it moved, and so did she. 30 ft. across the room. They remain motionless to conserve energy.

We're too far north to have them in this area. They are beautiful though.

Duane

[jbeegoode]

We have discovered a natural, non-chemical, but very effective bug spray. It is called “BiteBlocker  Xtreme Insect  Repellant.” The mosquitoes were very persistent the second evening in the white Mountains. I was about to put on clothes! We sprayed the stuff on, not even rubbing it in, after I had placed a long sleeve t-shirt on my body leaving waist down vulnerable. They immediately left my legs alone, completely and instead started to buzz my face. I had a hat, but DF got one of those small cherries on her forehead before rubbing some around, ending the persistence. The stuff is soybean, geranium and castor oils, not sticky, particularly filmy, nor did it leave a toxic scent. It works. I bought the 8-hour repellent locally at Arbico Organics which is an internet distributor. They have a website.
Jbee

[eyesup]

Checked it out on their website and online purchasing. I'll have to try it. If you’ve ever been mobbed by mosquitoes, anything that works is a relief. I don't care for most insect repellents, they are repellent to more than the insects. It's like getting sprayed with WD40.

You have to get out in areas where there are springs and lakes to see many mosquitoes. Even then you don't see many in the desert.

Since the real estate bubble busted I have started seen them here in town. When people walked away from their houses and if there was a pool, it sat there with the water slowly evaporating. After the power gets shut off the pool equipment stops working and the water becomes stagnant. A breeding ground for all sorts of insects. When we would walk the dogs I would count both the number of homes with a sign and those that appeared empty. In our neighborhood alone I once counted over 14.

It is better than before but I still see a few mosquitoes .

Duane

[jbeegoode]

There were once, no mosquitoes in Tucson. Unheard of. There were some out in Marana where irrigation was used on farms. It is one big reason why I settled here.

Several years ago, the city water decided to try a natural filtering system for some of the sewage, They imported tall grasses to clean the water in a pond on the west side. Mosquitoes naturally nest on the underside of these grasses as they bow with gravity. A new breed of mosquito was introduced. The carry west Nile virus. They are long and lanky. They are all over town now.

I still spend most of my time out here in the desert where they don't survive well. During summer months, when I'm at a friend's pool or at the sweat, or Df's backyard, they remind me that I can never go back to living in my own town, like I used to.
Jbee