CREEPY CRAWLERS
HAWAIIAN CENTIPEDE
This is a Hawaiian Centipede, I hate them with a passion. Hawaii is a damp tropical climate so bugs are to be expected. Many Hawaiian homes have or will have roaches, ants and these monsters.
One got in my bed in the house and stung me while crawling across my chest. My wife was still awake watching television and still laughs about watching a crazy naked man throwing all of the bedding into the backyard. Thank goodness they are in Hawaii. There are a few types on the mainland but I have never had any issues with them.
SCRORPIONS
I camped hundreds of nights all over the southwest and have never had an issue with scorpions or snakes. An old prospector told me the secret of desert camping which is simple common sense.
In the desert everything needs water and food, most are active at night so they go to the water for water and food. Critters large or small that eat other critters eat the critters that are where the water is. If you don't want to sleep with the critters sleep where there is no water. So I don't camp too close to creeks or lakes and have never had an issue with snakes or scorpions.
I try not to set up camp before I am ready to crawl in for the night. This doesn't give the critters a chance to get in your bedding. Shake out everything before you get in it, put it on or put it away.
BLACK WIDDOW SPIDERS
BROWN RECLUSE SPIDERS
Brown Recluse spiders have a very powerful venom. It is a type that kills the tissue in the area of the bite. They use there venom to digest their pray. They are very passive and their fangs are not designed to attack their pray. Coming in contact with them by laying on them in grass or in your bedding is how you get a bite. 80% of the bites heal but the consequences if you do not treat them can be severe. I have been bitten and did not treat it but I'm an idiot well a lucky idiot I am fine.
MOSQUITOES
I grew up in Ohio mosquitoes were a constant so I learned to live with them. We never worried about disease in those days so it was the welts and itching we tried to avoid. Today West Nile virus, Zika virus, Dengue and Chikununya are an issue. They appear mostly at dusk and dawn and seem to go away through the night. Central North Dakota was the worst, they never ever stopped. I was amazed how aggressive they were at high noon.
BITING FLIES
Ohio had several types of these blood suckers. On hot summer days these would bite through a t-shirt. I ran in those days, they would land on my back and eventually drill their way through to your skin. You constantly pulled your shirt to shoe them away.
I found these in the plain states as I was cycling. Somehow they could find a way through a shirt at speed. They suck blood but I am not aware of any deceases that they spread. Unfortunately they seem to be immured to repellent.
NO-SEE-UMS
These are tiny mosquito like critters. They are also called sand flies or biting gnats. They are so small you feel their bite before you feel or see them. Repellant works well there are specific No-See-Ums brands but repellant with Deet works the same. I assume they spread disease like Mosquitoes but I did not find any information.
ANTS
There are several types but the fire ant is the ones I try to avoid. They are in most states now so you need to be aware. They aren't deadly but they do hurt. Luckily they sleep at night and don't get active until sunrise.
I camped all night with no problem but as I returned from a breakfast trip to a nearby restaurant my tent gear and bicycle were completely covered with ants. They were so aggressive I could not strike camp until they decided to move on. I found ants for days.
Most types of ants want your food, these seem to want you. There are other aggressive types but these are the most common.
TICKS AND CHIGGERS
These are the critters that worry me the most. Limes decease is a serious health issue in many parts of the country. They are tiny, travel on animals and get into your clothing and hair. They definatly carry disease so closed fine screened tent camping and avoiding the types of areas they might be is important to learn. I travel by bicycle I don't take naps in the grass or walk through high weeds. My training in Ohio gives me a leg up on where not to go.
When traveling through these areas repellant and showers work the best. Keep this in mind when you budget your motel money.
WASPS
I don't understand these creatures, some live in nests and some live in the ground. I think I have been stung by every type over the years when painting houses, digging stumps or removing a nest from my patio. They can sting you multiple times and they are unpredictable. I was riding a motorcycle and one somehow found me an stung my hand at a stop light. It must have been some weird cycle because I know of two other people who had similar experiences on the very same day. I think it is a case of you are it, but unless you are allergic the stings fade very quickly.
HONEY BEES
Honey bees are amazing and pretty much harmless. They are usually busy (as bees) and go about their work with little notice. My only bad experience was disturbing a hive in an old shack. They had formed around the door frame on the inside so as I attempted to open the door the saw it as an attack. They poured out of the crack and stung me several times as I ran away.
I only ran 20 yards before they quit their attack. I was fine but I am not allergic which can be fatal to some people who are. Africanized bees are now in most states. They are exactly the same except for their temperament. If the bees I had disturbed had been Africanized the would not have stopped after 20 yards. They would have continued to swarm until I was finally far far away and not a threat.
I lived in the Phoenix Arizona area in the 90's. They had such a panic about this new strain of aggressive bees they formed a special fire department unit to deal with the new hives. Yes a few people died from disturbing these bees and bee keeping became more difficult, but like most things we have adjusted.
Stumbling upon a rogue bee hive is not good so if you see one walk away. This happened to me once while back packing in the Tucson area. I heard a low buzzing sound and saw a few random bees and then there I was ten feet away from a very large hived. I cautiously backed away and took a wide detour. The lesson is treat them all like aggressive Africanized bees.
TARANTULA SPIDERS
It isn't all bad news these gentle giants are harmless. Desert camping in Arizona I first found these or should I say they found me as I sat beside a small fire. A small herd of five ran through my camp site. I have seen how harmless they are when I was a kid at the Cleveland Zoo. I was picked out of the crowd to have one crawl on my hand and up my bare arm to show how docile they are. I found them in several places around Arizona.
THE BASICS OF CAMPING IN STRANGE AREAS
Do a little research to understand before hand the dangers you might face in a new unfamiliar climate, the locals may or may not give you good advice. For an example the locals told me two completely different stories about camping in alligator country. It wouldn't have been a good nights sleep either way so I stayed in a cheap motel.
Don't take chances sleep in your tent, use repellent, and don't be a tough guy. Riding on a bicycle is fairly safe but where you sit, walk or sleep is where you need to be extra cautious.
Repellent with Deet is the best. I try not to apply it to my skin just my clothing. I don't know which one is the best I'm still doing research. I have run out at the worst time and spent a long night with little sleep.
There are many more bugs that I haven't covered but these are the ones that came to mind.
The romantic vision of sleeping under the stars undisturbed by insects is just a vision. The reality is a little different. Movies and television never portray how difficult it is to deal with critters. Navy Seals crawl through jungle swamps but they never show the bugs, snakes and leaches. Lovers make passionate love as they roll in the sand on a tropical beach but they never point out how abrasive sand can be.
It is not that difficult. Traveling through unfamiliar climates safely just takes a little common sense. Relax, do some research and be prepared, you will have a great time.
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