Innocentx Posted June 27, 2018 Author Share Posted June 27, 2018 Very sorry to hear that, @Walt. "Journey through a universe ablaze with changes" Phil Ochs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 Apparently it is the risk you take when living in up state NY. Very rampant there. Except for brain eating bacteria, LA is remarkably free of Lyme's disease, Zika, etc Everything is generated through your own will power ~ Ray Bradbury Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bone guy Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 I could share a tick experience I had a few weeks ago. I live in Georgia, USA. Spent about 45 minutes walking in tall grass behind my house. I found 5 ticks, ALL were already burroweded in my skin. I have never seen a tick take less than an hour to find a spot to burrow, usually they crawl around for a while before settling down. I had to pluck them out one by one. Thankfully, I haven't had any health issues since. A few years ago my dad was bitten by one tick. He got temporary Cerebral Bell's Palsy in his face. Had to have a nurse give him painful electro-shock treatments for weeks until it got better. Long story short, don't go into the long grass! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 13 minutes ago, Bone guy said: Long story short, don't go into the long grass! I may not even leave the house after reading the posts on this topic 1 Everything is generated through your own will power ~ Ray Bradbury Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 I’m extremely sorry as well @Walt. 21 minutes ago, Bone guy said: A few years ago my dad was bitten by one tick. He got temporary Cerebral Palsy in his face. Had to have a nurse give him painful electro-shock treatments for weeks until it got better. Long story short, don't go into the long grass! Ouch, was that from Lyme? Strange to see it manifest neurologically. ——————————————————— I think a large factor in both of these parasites spread is the increasing population of deer. There is a severe deer overpopulation problem across the east (saw a few herds yesterday), due to the removal of predators. No clear solution yet in sight. Fortunately, doctors are getting wiser to the symptoms. 3 “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bone guy Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 1 minute ago, WhodamanHD said: Ouch, was that from Lyme? Strange to see it manifest neurologically. Yeah forgot to mention it was Lyme 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 1 hour ago, Bone guy said: He got temporary Cerebral Palsy in his face. I’ll bet it was Bell’s palsy. Too bad about the Lyme disease. I hope never to get it. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bone guy Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 1 hour ago, Al Dente said: I’ll bet it was Bell’s palsy You're right. Forgot there was such a variety of palsies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 dusting your clothes with sulphur powder will also keep chiggers and ticks off. The chiggers don't get active until the temp gets over 90* F "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innocentx Posted June 28, 2018 Author Share Posted June 28, 2018 Chiggers bite all day and night here. Too bad LA is prohibitively crowded and expensive or I'd consider moving there. "Journey through a universe ablaze with changes" Phil Ochs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPS Ammonite Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 3 hours ago, Innocentx said: Chiggers bite all day and night here. Too bad LA is prohibitively crowded and expensive or I'd consider moving there. Coastal California has the best weather in the US, period, although, several ticks attached themselves to me every year. Short of moving there, consider moving to Arizona; the heat indices in the desert are consistantly lower than much of the Southeast and Midwest. The mid and upper elevations are much lower. Plus, no chiggers or ticks and there is much Federal land where you can collect fossils, especially in the higher elevations, that are nice much of the year. At least visit, I'll show you around. John 1 My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned. See my Arizona Paleontology Guide link The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innocentx Posted June 28, 2018 Author Share Posted June 28, 2018 8 hours ago, DPS Ammonite said: At least visit, I'll show you around. I like this idea. My son recently moved to Socorro, NM. I plan to visit sometime, but I'll have to rent a car for driving to Arizona. It's a plan for the not too distant future. Thanks for the offer! "Journey through a universe ablaze with changes" Phil Ochs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raggedy Man Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 @Bev taught me a cool trick. Wash your legs with dandruff shampoo before you go hunting. No chiggers! They're horrible up there in Mn and forgot my deet. I was really surprised it worked. 1 ...I'm back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raggedy Man Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 On 6/27/2018 at 12:47 PM, WhodamanHD said: I’m extremely sorry as well @Walt. Ouch, was that from Lyme? Strange to see it manifest neurologically. ——————————————————— I think a large factor in both of these parasites spread is the increasing population of deer. There is a severe deer overpopulation problem across the east (saw a few herds yesterday), due to the removal of predators. No clear solution yet in sight. Fortunately, doctors are getting wiser to the symptoms. Actually the warming temperatures are the main factor. ...I'm back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innocentx Posted June 28, 2018 Author Share Posted June 28, 2018 1 hour ago, Raggedy Man said: Actually the warming temperatures are the main factor. I was considering that as well though not sure. A lousy feature I've noticed is that the excess CO2 is causing some plant populations to explode. Poison ivy which used to grow in the shade, can now be found large patches in the middle of pastures and in full sun. Also other noxious, non natives are taking over in areas where they never existed before. "Journey through a universe ablaze with changes" Phil Ochs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 1 hour ago, Raggedy Man said: Actually the warming temperatures are the main factor. That is quite possible as well. Warmer temps mean that they can survive the winter, or at least more can. That doesn’t bode well for the future, as it looks as if the temperatures aren’t gonna stop climbing. 14 minutes ago, Innocentx said: Also other noxious, non natives are taking over in areas where they never existed before. I’m not sure that is due mainly to CO2, but it is a problem. The non-native plants happen to be perfectly adapted to the new environment, but the mechanisms to keep their populations down (predators, parasites, etc) have not had the chance to evolve. 1 “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innocentx Posted June 28, 2018 Author Share Posted June 28, 2018 http://www.climatecentral.org/news/study-finds-plant-growth-surges-as-co2-levels-rise-16094 1 "Journey through a universe ablaze with changes" Phil Ochs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 25 minutes ago, Innocentx said: http://www.climatecentral.org/news/study-finds-plant-growth-surges-as-co2-levels-rise-16094 I have no doubt that the CO2 levels don’t help plants, I just don’t think they help particular ones more than others. Well it’s not that I don’t think that, it’s that I haven’t heard any proof for (which could be out there I just haven’t seen it) “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 On 6/26/2018 at 11:42 AM, Innocentx said: Fossil hunting has become a bit of a challenge in my area, even though I'm using the spray. The chiggers were late coming this year (long cold winter?) but now that they've been going for about a month I must say their population seem especially high and more vicious than previous years. I have bites from head to toe. Is anyone else experiencing this? (No need to actually show your bites as they often occur in the nether regions of the body.) It's maps like this - and the stories I keep hearing about all the critters such as leeches that are so bad in tropical areas - that confirm for me that I live in a pretty good spot, and I have no intention of ever leaving it for a warmer place. Thank God for Winter! However, in recent years I have noticed what seem like chigger bites around my ankles after going up my local mountain collecting fossils. I'd come home with these nasty bites that seem like mosquito or spider bites but they remain for at least a week. Haven't had any yet this year, but in recent years, yes. I was led to believe we actually have chiggers around here when I had always assumed they were a southern US problem. Maybe not the same species as shown in the above map, but a similar one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innocentx Posted June 29, 2018 Author Share Posted June 29, 2018 There's a new (to my area) critter I've been hearing about that gives nasty bites... oak mites. Maybe that's what you have. Are there oaks in your area of travel, @Wrangellian ? "Journey through a universe ablaze with changes" Phil Ochs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innocentx Posted June 29, 2018 Author Share Posted June 29, 2018 1 hour ago, WhodamanHD said: I just don’t think they help particular ones more than others The plains grasses in my area used to have the advantage but no more as available CO2 rise has invigorated the competition. This is also happening in Africa. Read: https://e360.yale.edu/features/the_surprising_role_of_co2_in_changes_on_the_african_savanna "Journey through a universe ablaze with changes" Phil Ochs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted June 29, 2018 Share Posted June 29, 2018 6 hours ago, Innocentx said: There's a new (to my area) critter I've been hearing about that gives nasty bites... oak mites. Maybe that's what you have. Are there oaks in your area of travel, @Wrangellian ? Never heard of that one, and I'm having trouble finding anything out about them. I suppose there are any number of things depending on location, habitat, etc. that can bite ya. There are oaks in the area, but I don't know if I was immediately among them during that particular trip. But I do recall regularly seeing up there the small red mites that they say are the adult form of the smaller chiggers (the immature ones). Who knows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica Posted June 29, 2018 Share Posted June 29, 2018 I'd never even heard of chiggers before this thread, but it's a timely posting, because I think I may have gotten a couple of bites last week when I went out fossil-hunting at Mimico Creek with Roger @Ludwigia! The creek is lined with trees/bushes, and you have to walk along a narrow, twisty path to get down to the creek, so I suspect the chiggers (or whatever it was that bit me) got me in there. The reason why I think it's something different from mosquitoes is because I felt a burning sensation on my inner left elbow and looked down to see that area turn a splotchy red, and by the evening it was intensely itchy (A LOT itchier than regular mosquito bites) and there were two large red bumps there. The few mosquito bites I got that day were barely noticeable compared to these bumps in my elbow, and these bigger/itchier bumps bugged me for about a week! The itchiness is now gone, and they are no longer bumps, but I still have two dark circles that are visible. I think I'll have to be more careful on my future hunts that take me through vegetation... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted June 29, 2018 Share Posted June 29, 2018 Oh, those are the infamous Eastern Canadian Elbow Mites. Nasty little buggers they are! Its a wonder you're still alive!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted June 29, 2018 Share Posted June 29, 2018 12 hours ago, Wrangellian said: It's maps like this - and the stories I keep hearing about all the critters such as leeches that are so bad in tropical areas - that confirm for me that I live in a pretty good spot. I was watching a documentary a while back. The subjects were exploring parts of Borneo and were talking about how you had to tape up all loose exposures to your skin because the air is so warm and moist the the leeches are on land and will get you as you are walking along trails just like chiggers, ticks, and all the rest of the yucky critters we encounter on hikes. Really makes me want to vacation in Borneo. I'll be dropping that destination from my bucket list! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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