Bugs

[jackie c]

The worst most dangerous bugs we have here in the frigid north are mosqitos that carry west nile. What kinds of bugs do you all have to deal with in warmer climates?

[moonwolf]

Originally Posted by jackie c

The worst most dangerous bugs we have here in the frigid north are mosqitos that carry west nile. What kinds of bugs do you all have to deal with in warmer climates?

jackie, interesting subject.
Being an ex lab microbiology lab person there are things I've seen that are of interest and infect humans.
don't forget deer ticks that may carry Lyme's disease. Fairly rare, but they do occur, and I don't think Lyme's is as bad as West Nile. I think there have been cases also of Equine Encephalitis in our parts west and into the praires in Manitoba west.
The other 'bug' is a bacteria causing a lung or skin disease found in the soil of beaver dams within North Western Ontario is called Blastomycosis. I know a guy got this when digging to make an outhouse at his lakefront property. Dogs rarely can get this too. And then there is Giardia that is in beavers that they excrete in ponds or water they live in and if you drink the water can cause gastroenteritis. Remember also the 'swimmer's itch' sometimes occurs in some lakes during the warm season caused by a free swimming shistasoma that invades the skin.
I know in warmer climes of Southern Missouri where I went to lab school is a rare fungus infeciton by either Coccidiomycosis or Histoplamosis. They are in some soil and airborne phase the spores can be inhaled causing the disease. It's rare, but I've seen it.

[OD]

BUGS!!!! Don't get me started!!! I just killed a mosquito last night, then there's all these fire ants that I squish on my kitchen cabinet every day. And Lady Bugs everywhere. I almost swallowed one that was in my tea the other day--they taste awful. At least the wasps, flies & grasshoppers are hibernating for a few weeks, but I'm sure they will be back soon.

[tinknal]

I worry much more about lymes than west nile. Seems that most folks who get WNV don't even know it. Once you get it you are imune. Lymes can get you time and again.

[Quint]

Not dangerous but these darned imported orange asian ladybug beetles are a plague. It has been down below zero here several times but I'm still sweeping up live ones every day.

The wasps are a real annoyance and we have an extremely abundant population around here for some reason. I had to take the shutters off the house because I couldn't keep them from building behind them.

I'm also over run with mice this year. I shined the car headlights on the woodpile tonight and they were running all over it...dozens of them. I even see them just running around on the driveway in broad daylight. Can't keep them out of the garage. I've trapped dozens with no end in sight. I think I'll play sniper with the .22 on the woodpile tomorrow. Suppose to have an ice storm tomorrow so I'll sit in the garage or at the back door and whack some mice with the scoped ruger 10/22 I haven't shot in a while. Gotta stay entertained in the winter ya know and luckily I'm pretty easily amused.

[texastami]

I'll match your mosquitos with West Nile and raise you FIRE ANTS..... Those little suckers are so NASTY!!! I hate them!!! And wow, get into a group of them, and you can be sick for awhile!!!

[katlupe]

Living in the forest we do get many bugs. That's something that family members complain about when they come here - bugs. One just got out of the car, and an ant ran over her shoe and she had a fit! Over an ant! I have all those bugs everyone mentioned, but nobody mentioned the "conifer" bug. He traveled from the west to the east so he's here now. They are also know as the "stink" bug. They look almost like a roach - which gave me a heart attack (almost) when I first saw them in my house (I was raised in Florida)! Anyway, as soon as they see you come into a room or looking at them they give off this awful smell. Sometimes, we don't even know they're in the room until we smell them.

Our cats, dog and even our pet chicken will not eat them. One cat does play with them - but all the others leave when they smell them. They come into the house any way they can in the fall, and hibernate all winter, and lay their eggs, and then as soon as it warms up in the spring, they try to get out. They live all summer in the forest where there are conifer trees, as that's what they like to feed on.

One time, my husband had me go with him to a recording studio to meet with the engineer, and we were sitting in a meeting and I could smell one. Then I could feel it! It was in my pant leg!!!! The engineer was talking to me and I was so afraid he thought I was the one stinking!!!! It was so embarrassing! They won't hurt you or anything like that. I'm used to them now. They just find nice warm places to sleep all winter - like in clothes that hasn't been put away yet. Then they end up in your dresser drawer.

[marisal]

Originally Posted by tinknal

I worry much more about lymes than west nile. Seems that most folks who get WNV don't even know it. Once you get it you are imune. Lymes can get you time and again.

2 Years ago my 83 year old Grandmother got West Nile. She got it up in Clayton, NY (1000 Islands) They have a place up there. She noticed a very large bite on her arm that wouldn't go away..about 4 days later she flew back to Florida, and the day she arrived they rushed her to the hospital, thought she had a stroke, but she had Ensiphalitis (sorry, can't spell) She couldn't walk, barely could talk, thought Carter was president.....

I had to laugh though, for the longest time they would not saw WEST NILE. They said she got Ensiphalitis from a mosquito bite. But would not say it was West Nile. Final a few weeks later they said it Was West Nile.

She is almost back to her normal self now. She can walk, but needs a walker, She is back to cooking all the time. They stayed in the 1000 islands all this past summer.

~Marisa

[fordson major]

depends, do you call polititions bugs?most destructive pest here abouts in adition to all the ones mw mentioned . i thought they had some kind of boreing fly up north bugs cattle moose and such.have a friend near north bay was having lots of problems with them.

[Critter183]

Originally Posted by jackie c

The worst most dangerous bugs we have here in the frigid north are mosqitos that carry west nile. What kinds of bugs do you all have to deal with in warmer climates?

The worst here are the deer ticks. In the spring and fall, you cannot go outdoors for 5 minutes without getting a couple on you. When I let the dog out, I give him a tick check before I let him back in. I find one to three on his legs every time.

I understand that the abundance of mice is the main reason for the tick problem, and I saw a neat new thing at a hardware store recently to combat it. They are PVC tubes filled with cotton treated with some kind of tick pesticide. You just leave them lying around outdoors and the mice take bits of the cotton for their nests, which kills off any nest infestation.

I'm going to buy some and try them out. Though they seem quite pricey at $8 or so each, it may be worth it.

[moopups]

Can you say 'killer bees'? Or scorpions, disease carring bugs, fire ants, leeches, 4 type of posion snakes, spiders that are 4 inches across the legs? Misquitos that are so pleantful in rural areas that they can make a herd of cows enemic? Don't forget Mr.Gator.....Welcome to sunny Florida!

[nodak3]

West Nile mosquitoes and scorpions.

[kjerckie]

My brother and I live in western WA. He was bitten three times by a spider that had crawled into his pants, before he killed it and got his pants off. Got real sick and the bite sites swelled and turned a horrible blackish color. Doc said is was an 'aggressive house spider.' They are very common here, brown, can get large, with long legs (not 'daddy longlegs' or 'recluse') and can scurry quick. I haven't layed my clothes on the floor since he told me this! yuck. He still has scars from the bites and took a long time to heal.