Pretentious Snobby Bastard Fly Fishing!

Fly Fishing BS => The Gravel Bar => Topic started by: OldDominionAngler on July 01, 2015, 14:40:37 PM

Title: Fear Mongering
Post by: OldDominionAngler on July 01, 2015, 14:40:37 PM
It's really more curiosity than fear...

I was in the woods this weekend and encountered the lot of nature's scary monsters.  Ran into a bear, picked up a little poison ivy,removed an embedded deer tick from a tricky lie, and now the real mystery...I got bit repeatedly by some unknown insect/arachnid in my sleeping back on Sunday night while sleeping.  Six decent sizes welts on upper legs and shoulders.  No pain, just itchy now..growing in redness and size.  Slight swelling, biggest is the size of a half dollar.

I was wrecked on Sunday night when I came back, and didn't put two and two together because the bites were less pronounced then.  I thought it was exhaustion and soreness from sleeping on the ground...seemed a little odd though because it was more like flu-like soreness. 

I feel fine at this point but I'm curious...can you ID a spider bite by how the bite looks?  What species are limited to SNP?  Google searches bring up the standard hoopla...black widows, recluse, sac, hobos.  To my knowledge half of those don't inhabit these woods and half aren't aggressive so I'm clueless. 

Any spider experts out there? Or maybe there's another culprit.
Title: Re: Fear Mongering
Post by: Woolly Bugger on July 01, 2015, 14:44:57 PM
Chiggers
Title: Re: Fear Mongering
Post by: OldDominionAngler on July 01, 2015, 14:51:23 PM
Quote from: Woolly Bugger on July 01, 2015, 14:44:57 PM
Chiggers

Hm, I wasn't thinking along those lines. I thought they were later summer and more lowlands near the water.  We weren't near much water. 
Title: Re: Fear Mongering
Post by: Big J on July 01, 2015, 15:05:03 PM
TR or it didn't happen
Title: Re: Fear Mongering
Post by: Woolly Bugger on July 01, 2015, 15:05:52 PM
Scabies ?
Title: Re: Fear Mongering
Post by: natureboy on July 01, 2015, 15:18:33 PM
Chiggers maybe?  Hopefully not a flea.
Title: Re: Fear Mongering
Post by: OldDominionAngler on July 01, 2015, 15:22:22 PM
Yeah, I'm not trying to get the bubonic plague right this minute.  These are big ass red welts...the horrific google image searches I just made suggest chigger, flea, and scaby bites are all smaller.  And these aren't really all local...something was on the move. 
Title: Re: Fear Mongering
Post by: TylerDurden on July 01, 2015, 15:27:44 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aNFDZeSo4M (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aNFDZeSo4M)
Title: Re: Fear Mongering
Post by: OldDominionAngler on July 01, 2015, 15:30:15 PM
Quote from: TylerDurden on July 01, 2015, 15:27:44 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aNFDZeSo4M (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aNFDZeSo4M)

Thank you for the computer generated newscast/death sentence.
Title: Re: Fear Mongering
Post by: Mudwall Gatewood 3.0 on July 01, 2015, 15:37:55 PM
I'm no spider expert.  I can ID maybe a half dozen kinds.

I am not sure if too many, or any, spiders around here inject anticoagulants or leave some substance, which I believe is what causes the itching.  Perhaps the recluse has some sulfur derivative protein that acts like an anticoagulant.  I've forgotten most of that kind of stuff. 

I'd bet in your case it was some insect or likely chiggers.  Bossman is spot on. 

I don't believe my Lyme was Lyme or even a tick bite.  The antibiotics seem to be working.  I am sure it was a Yankee spider that liked my knee.

Good luck ODA.  We can enjoy the outdoors and get nailed by nasty critters, or we can stay at home.  I like the former.   
Title: Re: Fear Mongering
Post by: Dee-Vo on July 01, 2015, 16:06:45 PM
I vote chiggers. Those bitches suck. I've had my legs covered a couple times. Bastards.
Title: Re: Fear Mongering
Post by: Dougfish on July 01, 2015, 16:49:09 PM
Chiggers aren't just late summer. I had a friend get eaten up by them in April on a grassy/weedy dry, rocky ridge when we were plant collecting.
But I wasn't bothered. I don't smell very good, I guess. 
Title: Re: Fear Mongering
Post by: driver on July 01, 2015, 17:03:10 PM
I have about 16 chigger bites at the moment. Chiggers are thick here in the piedmont. I usually start getting them in May. As for mosquitos. They dont bother me. They will bite the person next to before bitting me. And if i do get it bit, its doesnt welt or itch.  I wish I could say that about chiggers
Title: Re: Fear Mongering
Post by: revfox on July 01, 2015, 20:13:39 PM
Ya, I would bet money they are chiggers. I got about 15 of them a few weeks ago during an engagement photoshoot with an "outdoorsy" couple in a grassy field. We all got covered and they itched like hell for about two days and I still got the evidence all over.

Hadn't seen them since my summers in Florida at camp. Hard as hell not to scratch.
Title: Re: Fear Mongering
Post by: Dee-Vo on July 01, 2015, 21:05:53 PM
People told me to put fingernail polish on each place to seal it up where air can't get to it. Air makes it itch, evidently. I did it (clear fingernail polish). Seemed to work.
Title: Re: Fear Mongering
Post by: benben reincarnated on July 01, 2015, 21:22:06 PM
Chris, go to the damn doctor if you are concerned, you have insurance, otherwise put some hydrocortisone on it, pop a Benadryl pill and be done with it. 
Title: Re: Fear Mongering
Post by: revfox on July 01, 2015, 21:29:38 PM

Quote from: troutfanatic on July 01, 2015, 20:39:06 PM
Quote from: revfox on July 01, 2015, 20:13:39 PM
Ya, I would bet money they are chiggers. I got about 15 of them a few weeks ago during an engagement photoshoot with an "outdoorsy" couple in a grassy field. We all got covered and they itched like hell for about two days and I still got the evidence all over.

Hadn't seen them since my summers in Florida at camp. Hard as hell not to scratch.

nothing some 220v won't fix.  d:b

[emoji37][emoji15][emoji15][emoji88]
Title: Re: Fear Mongering
Post by: Dougfish on July 01, 2015, 21:46:45 PM
Quote from: benben on July 01, 2015, 21:22:06 PM
Chris, go to the damn doctor if you are concerned.......

^This.^ Don't try to be a tough guy.

(We know you're not.)
Title: Re: Fear Mongering
Post by: OldDominionAngler on July 01, 2015, 22:02:24 PM
Quote from: benben on July 01, 2015, 21:22:06 PM
Chris, go to the damn doctor if you are concerned, you have insurance, otherwise put some hydrocortisone on it, pop a Benadryl pill and be done with it.

But I feel safe with my life in the collective hands of the low rent district. 8)

Thanks for the feedback...if chiggers are out and about then that seems like the most logical scenario.  I had a friend who had chigger bites get infected with cellulitis, heard that is not uncommon so will keep an eye on them.