Insect Bites
There are many small flying or crawling insects that see you as the source of a blood meal. Generally, their bite just leaves an itchy bump. But some carry bacteria or viruses that can make you ill. An insect repellent with DEET prevents the bite – be sure to apply it to all exposed skin.
A bite that develops a large red circle or a “bullseye” of concentric circles may be from a tiny deer tick. Deer ticks sometimes carry diseases, so you should consult a doctor in the next few days.
An itchy “bite” that seems to be developing into a BB-sized abscess is probably the bite of one of the harmless spiders. The spider injects a necrotic venom that causes a little of the surrounding flesh to die. Keep the bite area clean and apply an antibiotic while the wound is open, to avoid a secondary infection. It will take about two weeks to heal completely.
Mosquitoes
There is a risk of mosquito bite every time you enter a forest or work in and around the woods. In addition to being uncomfortable, mosquito insect bites can cause illnesses which include several types of encephalitis, dengue and yellow fever, malaria, and West Nile virus. The actual bite comes from the evening and night-time feeding female.
Something to remember: The chance that any one person is going to become ill from a single mosquito bite remains low. The risk of severe illness and death is highest for people over 50 years old, although people of all ages can become ill.
When dealing with West Nile virus, prevention is your best bet. Fighting mosquito bites reduces your risk of getting this disease, along with others that mosquitoes can carry.
- Apply insect repellent containing DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) when you're outdoors.
- Wear loose fitting clothes to help prevent mosquitoes from reaching the skin and to retain less heat.
- When ever possible, wear long-sleeved clothes, socks and long pants.
- In a forest, wear clothing that helps you blend in with the background. Mosquitoes hone in on color contrast and movement.
- Treat your clothes with permethrin repellents. Do not use permethrins on your skin!
- Avoid perfumes, colognes, fragrant hair sprays, lotions and soaps which attract mosquitoes.
- Reduce your risk of exposure by staying indoors during peak mosquito feeding hours (from dusk until dawn).
- Avoid lingering in places where mosquitoes lay their eggs. Usually this is around standing water.
- Spray a pyrethrin into the air when confined to a certain outside area.
- Wash mosquito bites with mild soap and water.
Yellow Jackets
The small wasps called yellow jackets make nests in abandoned animal holes in the ground. Standing next to or stepping on their nest is taken as a threat and they will attack in numbers. A yellow-jacket can sting repeatedly, sometimes trapped under a loose shirt or shorts. The stings are painful, but the danger is that your body may react to multiple stings by producing a swelling in your throat that shuts down your airway. This is life-threatening, so yellow-jackets are to be avoided. Be aware of small yellow and black wasps flying near the ground. They can be heard as well as seen. Watch where they go, and stay away from that hole!
The yellow-jackets that land on your peanut butter and jelly sandwich will sting only if they are trapped. These are not defending the nest, so you are unlikely to be stung by more than one. Be careful to guard the opening of soft drink containers while drinking. A yellow-jacket that goes inside the container may sting you on the lips or tongue – more than once.
Note that yellow-jackets do not see you as a meal – they attack singly when trapped, or in a group when their nest is threatened.
Spiders
There are dozens of different spiders in the forest. Only the black widow and the brown recluse spiders are a serious threat. They live mostly in dry, abandoned buildings so you are unlikely to meet one. However, never reach into an enclosed space without a visual check of the inhabitants. Note that all spiders bite only in self-defense.