An insect bite in the summer is a common occurrence; few people take it seriously. However, not all insects are equally safe, and sometimes a person's carelessness in handling them can cost him his life.
Dangerous insects lie in wait for us everywhere - at the dacha, in the forest and even at the resort! So under no circumstances should you relax.
In our material we will tell you which insects are best to stay away from.
Not all of the individuals listed below can be called insects from a biological point of view. Ticks, spiders and scorpions are arachnids. We used the term “insects” for ease of understanding.
Hornet
People who are far from biology often confuse a hornet with a wasp. They have some external similarities, but very little. The character of the hornet is not as aggressive as that of the wasp; this insect rarely releases its sting. In other words, the hornet can bite if someone tries to catch it and put it on the palm or destroy its nest. Then you shouldn’t expect mercy from the hornet. In all other cases, this insect will not waste its precious poison - its means of defense.
Many people heard in childhood that three hornet stings are enough to cause death. Fortunately, this is just a children's horror story. Although the hornet's venom is considered the most powerful, the strength of this poison and, consequently, the consequences of the bite largely depend on the type of hornet. For most people, hornet stings are not life-threatening, and the most that can happen is severe pain at the site of the bite.
But for a person who is allergic to bee (wasp) venom, an encounter with a hornet can be life-threatening. In addition, someone who has not been stung by bees before may simply not know about his allergy to their venom. To avoid unnecessary risk, after a hornet sting, a person who has never experienced it should definitely take an antihistamine.
Who destroys tree trunks
Forest stem pests are dangerous because they cause damage to the stem part of the plant. Penetrating into the bark of the plant and deeper, they make their passages there, deteriorating the quality of the wood and promoting the formation of rot and infection in the form of bacteria and fungi. Some parasites spend almost their entire life inside the tree trunk, eating it from the inside, while others periodically come to the surface and can be seen on the tree bark.
Tree trunks are most often affected
Damage to tree trunks is caused mainly by beetle-like species of insects; they affect weakened trees, but can also spread to healthy plants. The beetle is a pest of gardens and forests. This depends on the pollution of the forest zone, population outbreak, and the number of young animals in the planting. The main types of forest pest beetles include:
- bark beetles;
- goldfish;
- barbel;
- weevils;
- horntails;
- woodworms.
By introducing itself into the stem tissue of a plant, this type of parasite weakens the plant’s immune system, making it vulnerable to infections.
Mite
Ticks are dangerous because they carry dangerous diseases - tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease. Fortunately, not every tick is a carrier of the virus; however, it is not worth the risk, but you need to take preventive measures and protection from the consequences in advance.
For some reason, many people think that ticks live on trees and fall from them in clusters onto peacefully walking passers-by. In fact, ticks mainly live in the grass, which is where they attack their victims.
Ticks are most dangerous in May-June. With the onset of summer, the danger of transmitting viruses decreases slightly, and in September it practically disappears.
Ticks guard their victims along paths and paths. The favorite places of this insect are branches of bushes, tall grass, and small trees.
As a rule, ticks first land on the victim's legs and begin to move upward in search of a more suitable place to bite. The tick can search for a place where the skin is thinner for several hours. In their search, ticks try to get to the groin, collarbones, armpits, chest, and lower back. Unfortunately, a person does not feel the bite (there is an anesthetic substance in the tick’s saliva), and it is possible to detect the blood-sucking pest only when it has thoroughly attached itself to the body and has drunk blood.
You need to get rid of the tick immediately after it is discovered. It is important not to tear off his head - it cannot be left in the human body. After removal, you must submit the tick to a laboratory so that it can be checked for infection.
How to remove a tick
Step 1. The body of the tick is grabbed with tweezers, which are held strictly perpendicular to the surface of the skin, slightly pressing into it.
Step 2. The tweezers are rotated 360 degrees along with the tick and carefully pull out the insect, then place it in a jar or other container.
Step 3. The bite site is treated with iodine or any other alcohol solution.
Many people recommend putting a drop of oil on the tick. This cannot be done - the tick will suffocate and the head will remain in the skin. You also cannot pull a tick with your fingers for the same reason - you can tear off its head.
To protect yourself, doctors recommend getting vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis. There is no vaccine for Lyme disease. The best prevention is the right clothing: long sleeves, high shoes, thick fabric, trousers tucked into boots, etc., as well as the use of repellents.
After returning from the dacha or forest, be sure to inspect each other for ticks.
Horsefly
Both people and animals have encountered horse flies more than once. These insects sting very painfully. Induration and redness remain at the site of the bite; in particularly sensitive people, the temperature sometimes rises.
Perhaps someone will be consoled by the fact that only female horseflies bite and drink blood. By the way, they do this not out of malice or bad character - they need blood to lay eggs. Horseflies are carriers of dangerous diseases - anthrax, tularemia, filariasis and others. At first, few people worry, thinking that the ulcers at the site of the bite are an allergic reaction that will soon pass. In fact, this may be the beginning of an infection, and protective measures must be taken urgently.
To reduce the risk of infection, apply pressure to the bite site (this will reduce the spread of insect saliva), apply ice, wash and cauterize with iodine or alcohol. If redness and swelling do not go away, you should consult a doctor.
How to protect our forests
The life and spread of forest pests is controlled by the forest protection service and forest pathologists. They monitor forests, identify cases of uncontrolled reproduction of dangerous insects and take measures to prevent their further spread. Pest elimination is carried out in the following ways:
- the use of biological control methods (attracting natural enemies of insects: birds, insectivorous mammals, viruses and pathogenic bacteria);
- chemical treatment;
- mechanical method (killing insects manually, installing traps);
- physical method (use of ultrasound, electric current, etc.)
Most often, these methods are used in combination, which allows for the most effective pest control.
Gadfly
This insect is often confused with horsefly. At first glance, they really are similar, however, there are differences, and the most important thing is that gadflies do not drink blood. These insects do not bite at all, but they actively lay a large number of larvae - and this is why they are dangerous. In general, out of all the variety of species of these insects (and there are about 150 of them known in the world), only two pose a danger to humans - subcutaneous and cavitary gadflies. The first ones attach the larvae to the hair of a person or animal, which over time penetrate the body through the skin and move through the tissues. If such a larva enters the brain, it can lead to death. Therefore, consult a doctor immediately.
Cavity gadflies lay larvae mainly on domestic animals, but history knows a number of cases when people also became their victims. The female gadfly “squirts” her larvae onto the animal’s mucous membranes – into the eyes or nostrils. From there, the larvae set off on a journey through the body or remain to parasitize where they were initially “splattered out.” The animal suffers greatly, and for a person it can even be fatal if nothing is done and you do not consult a doctor.
If such a larva gets on the eyelid, it is impossible to remove it on your own, so urgent medical attention is needed. The only way to remove the larva from the eye is through surgery and, of course, this will affect vision. But it will save life.
Pest classification
Agricultural pests are divided into:
- Insects.
- Microorganisms.
- Worms and slugs.
- Animals.
Pests are divided according to territorial characteristics. They may be typical for your region or present in gardens and vegetable gardens everywhere. Certain pests, most often microorganisms, are characteristic only of greenhouses. According to the type of damage, enemies of agricultural crops are divided into:
- Pests of the root system.
- Eaters of leaves and stems.
- Pests of ovaries and buds.
- Fruit destroyers.
Regular or black T-shirt
About 30 mg of poison, which is contained in the blood of this beetle, will be enough to kill a person. If this poison gets on the skin, burns and blisters will appear that do not heal for a long time. If the poison gets into the blood, it will lead to disruptions in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, and liver. Mikes mainly live in the Caucasus and southern regions of Russia. In the middle zone you can find no less dangerous varieties of these beetles - a rich green Spanish fly and a beetle that resembles a ladybug, only with an elongated body. It is better not to come into contact with these insects. But if suddenly their secretions do get on the skin, this area should be washed quickly and well with soap and water. And monitor your condition: if you start to feel dizzy and feel nauseous, consult a doctor immediately.
Who are insects
Insects are a class of invertebrate arthropods that have chitinous bodies. They differ in structure, shape, size and lifestyle.
Life cycle.
All of them go through a life cycle with complete or incomplete transformation. The complete transformation cycle consists of 4 stages:
- egg;
- larva;
- chrysalis;
- adult (imago).
In an incomplete cycle, there is no pupal stage.
| Body structure | Three sections: head, chest and abdomen. Each segment has its own part. |
| Exoskeleton | The outer dense cover of the body and limbs is chitinous. There are growths, thorns, folds, hairs. |
| Colors | Diverse. They can be structural, bright, metallic, with patterns and stripes. |
| Head | With antennae, oral limbs, organs of vision. |
| Breast | It consists of three segments, the legs are attached to the knees and hip. |
| Wings | Two pairs, with a frame and thin fabric, are reinforced with veins. |
| Abdomen | Consists of a number of segments with appendages. |
Scorpion
Hardly anyone has met a Scorpio at their dacha, especially in the middle zone. But there is a high probability of seeing this arthropod with your own eyes (and it’s good if you can avoid its bite) at popular Russian resorts - in the Crimea, Krasnodar Territory, and also in the North Caucasus.
Nature has decreed that northern scorpions are not as large and dangerous as their southern relatives. After a bite from such a scorpion, a person will suffer pain for a long time, swelling and redness will appear at the site of the bite, but this will definitely not lead to death. If you are allergic to scorpion venom, the prognosis will not be as favorable, so the very first thing anyone should do after being bitten is take an antihistamine. If the pain is severe, call a doctor and, before he arrives, give the victim painkillers and ensure complete rest.
If a scorpion bites a child, this is a reason to immediately call an ambulance.
Silkworm
This is a terribly voracious pest. The silkworm caterpillar is active at night. His butterflies are completely harmless, except for the fact that they lay eggs. But their larva, the silkworm caterpillar, is a real monster that prefers the foliage of apple, linden, and birch trees. Hiding from the sun, the caterpillars crawl to the ground during the day. The genus of silkworms includes several species:
- The gypsy grows up to 6 cm in length, it is densely covered with dark gray hairs, it has five pairs of blue warts in front and six red ones in the back. These caterpillars are the most dangerous. More than 300 species of different plants can serve as their food. The different sizes of the male and female gave the pest its name. This pest lays eggs in the butt part and can withstand temperatures down to -60 °C. The butterfly begins to fly in July.
- The mulberry prefers the foliage of the mulberry tree. It spins a cocoon where the caterpillar becomes a butterfly. The finest cocoon thread is used to make expensive silk fabric. The caterpillars are dark brown in color, growing up to 8 cm, and lighten to white with gray spots. Their butterflies are large, dirty white, with a thick abdomen and short antennae.
- The nun is a black and white butterfly with jagged antennae. Its caterpillar grows up to 6 cm, has 16 legs and thick hair. It feeds mainly on needles, but will not refuse the foliage of birch, oak, apple and beech.
- The Siberian silkworm (cocoon moth) is considered very dangerous. Its butterfly is large, light brown to black in color. Distributed from the Urals to Primorye. The female lays eggs on needles, branches and trunks. The caterpillars are up to 7 cm in length, feed on pine needles and overwinter under the cover of foliage and pine needles on the ground.
Karakurt
The karakurt mainly lives in the southern regions of Russia, but in hot years it was also found in the Moscow region. So it's better to play it safe. These spiders are especially dangerous in early and mid-summer. The male karakurt was not seen to be doing anything wrong, but the female, according to tradition, is the owner of one of the most powerful poisons known to mankind. A female karakurt has the power to “put down” an entire herd of small cattle.
For humans, this spider also poses a danger - the karakurt poison causes pain, swelling, and clouding of consciousness. If medical assistance is not provided in time, the bite victim may die. Therefore, in places where these arthropod “killers” live (in particular, in the southern regions), special treatment of the area is carried out from time to time, and clinics and hospitals always have antidote serum in the required quantities.
After being bitten by a karakurt, the victim must be urgently taken to the nearest health care facility so that he can receive the necessary injection.
What should you do to avoid becoming prey to stinging monsters?
These measures are very simple, but they should not be neglected:
- do not wear bright clothes to the dacha or in the forest;
- protect exposed skin when going to potentially hazardous areas;
- wear a hat;
- do not wear perfume;
- Use repellent and mosquito nets whenever possible.
Some insects not only sting painfully, but also pose a serious danger to life. To avoid such a threat, take preventive protective measures in advance. Of course, it is better to avoid poisonous insects. But if it so happens that they “taste” you, thanks to our material you will always know how to behave in such a situation!
Worms and slugs
Among plant pests, the class of worms includes nematodes, which mainly attack roots.
Slugs are content with leaves and shoots. There are many folk remedies to combat them. The slug is noticeable in the garden, and the damage from its activities is also noticeable. This gave rise to a lot of signs. Slugs belong to the class of gastropods. More than anything else in the world, they love ripe strawberries. A snail is the same as a slug, only with a shell. It can eat leaves of cabbage, cucumber, horseradish and other plants. When a leaf is damaged, pathogenic microorganisms are introduced and the process of photosynthesis is disrupted. The plant is forced to compensate for their growth by fruiting. Nematodes are less noticeable, but their effect is more sad. These small worms are divided into several types. There are root, leaf and stem nematodes. By parasitizing the roots, they destroy the plant. This is noticeable when salvation is no longer possible. The best way to fight is prevention.
Rodents cause great damage to agricultural crops. They damage both roots and fruits. There are cases of crop damage by large flocks of birds.
