Hearts Consulting Group announces the unvailing of it’s first website: www.bugsinmybed.com. This website is really different from other pest control websites in two ways.

1) While there are one or two great bed bug websites, such as Bed Bug Central, the goal of this website is to take a very broad view of the bed bug epidemic, seeing it rather within the context of people who have broad complaints about bugs that get in their beds. In the past, when people woke up with bites, the common answer was that it was spiders. Well, then the bed bug epidemic came and it seemed like anyone who had bites thought it was bed bugs. Simultaneously, another group of people are shouting about an epidemic of mite bites. They are talking about it on birdmites.org and shouting out loud about unknown parasites at Morgellon’s websites.

2) Most bed bug websites are written from the perspective of a pest control company. This website was written with a more neutral perspective, one that would incorporate the perspectives and needs of realtors, homeowners, tenants, lawyers, school adminstrators, medical professionals, group living administrators and many others. We hope we an live up to the expectations we have set for ourselves.

3) We will review this subject on a worldwide basis.

4) We will attempt to acquire field data through our report map for these epidemics. Going further than other reportsing websites, such as the Bed Bug Registry, we also seek to create a report and feedback process to help resolve issues.

Yes, Miss S gets a bath at night, doubly yes, after being in public.  Yes, I change Miss Q out of all the clothes she wears to play-groups when we return home – sometimes she even gets a mid-day bath.  And while I’m throwing out confessions, I also tossed the teddy bear Miss Q took to gymnastics in the wash instead of letting her play with it.

The world is full of mites, lice and worms.  I’m okay with my children being among them – till we get home.  Not to say I have a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, of course we have all of the aforementioned creepy-crawlies and more; having a dog doesn’t help.  But love makes you do strange things, so I try to turn a blind eye to her muddy paws; however, she’s not immune from the suds, after a romp in the lake.

I hope my environmentally friendly floor cleaner actually cleans the floor – especially after someone’s forgotten to remove their shoes; me included.  I cringe when I have to walk across the floor, with shoes, on because I’ve forgotten something.

It’s not like I live my life in a bubble.  I enjoy a good muddy bike ride, and being in public places- I even used to enjoy a good sweaty dance at a nightclub.  There’s just something about keeping as much of the outside, well, out.

If you sleep on a double mattress with a partner you could be snoozing alongside up to ten million dust mites. Find out why and how to stop them!

Dust mites prefer a hot, humid atmosphere – exactly what we provide underneath our duvets during the night. The mattress mites live off our dead skin cells, of which we produce almost six grams each and every night. In fact a study has shown that around a tenth of the weight of a two-year-old pillow can be skin, dust mites and their faeces. Still looking forward to getting your head down?

It’s the faeces of the dust mites that provide the real problem. Many individuals are allergic to them, and numbers seem to be rising. An allergy will display itself through ‘cold-like’ symptoms including watery eyes and nose in addition to difficulty breathing and potentially skin afflictions in infants. Here’s how to reduce the likelihood of being affected:

1. Don’t make your bed

It seems odd, but trapping air beneath a carefully-laid duvet and mattress just helps provide the nice warm environment dust mites love. Instead, fold back your duvet and let air circulate around the rest of the bed, ideally combined with good ventilation into the bedroom.

2. Wash your linen well

Wash your sheets and bed covers every fortnight and use a high temperature. This should help to kill the mites, however if you’ve got a large freezer put the linen in for a day to freeze them dead! Don’t forget to give your mattress a good vacuum to help to suck the mites out there too.

3. Protect your mattress

Try putting an extra protective layer on your bed on which mites cannot survive. These sheet-like mattress protectors stop mites living on them, providing a barrier between the mites and your body.

by Mary Ellen Ryall

Since 2001 I have longingly listened to bumble bees humming in honeysuckle bushes in my garden each spring. The honeysuckle bushes flower in May. Two years ago I didn’t hear the symphony of bumble bees. In 2009 there was only a slight hum among the yellow and white blossoms. (Bumble bee photo © Cindy Dyer)

I love these bees that delight me with the sight of pollen all over their faces, hairy bodies and legs. The sheer sound of buzzing makes me happy. This behavior happens when bumble bees grab a flower and shake it by vibrating their wing muscles to release pollen. I took for granted that the bumble bee would come and bless my heart and garden each spring.

Something is happening to our native bees. I know that colony collapse disorder is killing European honey bees (Apis mellifera—western honey bee). It is a complicated science to unravel. There are mites, overuse of pesticide and herbicides and loss of native habitat. Scientific American has documented that the agricultural practice of monoculture is also playing havoc on pollinators. Pollinators need biodiversity of natural environments for nectar source nutrition (Cox-Foster and van Engelsdorp 2009).

Recently I met Elaine Evans, author of Befriending Bumble Bees, and learned that some native bumble bee species are in trouble also. After reading the book I realized that I may have seen the Bombus affinis—the rusty patch bumble bee—which is in decline. I contacted The Xerces Foundation at http://www.xerces.org/rusty-patched-bumble-bee/. According to Xerces Foundation, “A major threat to the survival of these wild bees is the spread of diseases from commercially produced bees that are transported throughout the country.” Please view Oregon Public Broadcasting’s video on the rusty patch bumble bee here.

When did things go so terribly wrong? Between 1940 and 1960, large-scale agricultural practices began to emerge and loss of prairie, forest and wetland habitats disappeared. I live in a fairly remote area that to the best of my knowledge does not have beekeepers that are transporting commercially produced bees around the country. Perhaps there is hope here for the survival of Bombus affinis.

In 2010 I am going to be vigilant in recording bumble bee species and their numbers. We will invite citizen scientists to help us record bumble bees at the Monarch Butterfly Habitat in Shell Lake, Wisconsin. I will also record bumble bees at two other locations. Digital photography will be used to record and report our findings to Xerces Foundation. Citizen scientists are needed all over the U.S. to record and photograph the three different species that are in decline. Please visit http://www.xerces.org/bumblebees/ to learn more about the species in trouble and how you can assist us.

There are other ways to fight back too. In 2008, for the first time, the U.S. Congress modified its agricultural policy to include pollination protection measures. They are encouraging the setting aside of conservation land where wildflowers can grow and provide nectar. Happy Tonics, Inc. implemented a Monarch Butterfly Habitat, a restored remnant native tall grass prairie, in Shell Lake, Wisconsin, where native bees are flourishing.

Anna Martineau Merritt, photographer and author of Life, Through the Window of My Car, raised an alarming thought. She mentioned that bees need a floral corridor of at least five miles away from genetic engineered crops. The United Kingdom suggests 3.75 miles between GE crops and non GE crop sources. A looming problem may be that a bee can fly as far as it has to in order to gather pollen and bring it back to the nest.

Without native habitat readily available, the bee has to travel farther. The connection here is that the precious bumble bee may unwittingly transport genetically engineered pollen into native habitat and non genetic engineered crop fields. The scary scenario of this might be that precious life giving honey could become contaminated with GE pollen. To counteract this it is best to plant a native plant corridor within a two mile radius of the nest. This is quite possible where native bees don’t need to travel so far. A perfect example of this is northwest Wisconsin, where the Monarch Butterfly Habitat is located and where there is an abundance of native habitat and non GE crops.

It is going to take a native floral corridor across the country to help pollinators including the beloved bumble bee. Each of us can let wildflowers grow where we live. Happy Tonics has an online store at www.happytonics.org, where we sell common milkweed seed for the monarch butterfly. We have found that bumble bees love the sweet intoxicating nectar. Buy our seed and help the pollinating monarch butterfly (a butterfly in crisis) and native bumble bees at the same time.

This spring I plan to leave some soil undisturbed to invite the bumble bee to come and live in the garden and I’m going to tempt them with native wildflower and herb nectar plants.

Sources:
Evens, E., Burns, I., and Spivak, M. 2007, Befriending the Bumble Bees, University of Minnesota Extension.
Cox-Foster, D. and vanEngelsdrop, D. April 2009, Saving the Honeybee, Scientific American, 40-47.

… because I’m still fighting against the stupid acarians/mites. I haven’t found some since I cleaned his cage for the first time but I have to make sure that no others are hiding from me in my apartment

But – with Joda sitting in his big SAMLA box from Ikea which has the big size of nearly 60×80cm, I had a great chance making some new very cute pictures of him…

First I want to show Jodas new home until he can move into his bigger cage again…Don’t wonder about the missing litter. It’s easier to have him on some unbleached cellulose, when I have to clean his home every third day at the moment…

he’s peeping out of his wooden tube <3

I’ve written from the hamsterboard contest for a calendar where I asked you to choose your favorite of Lottas photos (you still can until the 14th of novembre… would help me so so much )…

Here are the cute new Joda photos, where I want you to tell me your favorite so I can give it into this contest. Please be so kind and just comment the best number when you read this…

So here we go!

1.

2.

3.

4.

Yes, for Joda you just have to decide between 4 pictures…. he isn’t easy to photograph with sharpness. He is so damned fast

Have a great day!

I’m going to catch some sleep. It’s late at night in Germany…

La bruixa és la tercera part de la triple dona.

Baba Yaga és un dels personatges trascendentals del folklore rus i eslau en general amb un possible origen pre-helènic.

A un imperi rus del segle XIX, a on les classes altes parlaven en francès i la llengua i cultura autòctones van quedar per als vells dels pobles, Alexandr Afanàsiev, filòleg i folclorista va emprendre la recuperació de la mitologia eslava, reescrivint-la en 680 contes amb la col·laboració de l’il·lustrador Ivan Bilibin. Per realitzar la recerca va recòrrer Moscovia, els pobles principalment del nord de Rússia i els bàltics més propers. L’editorial Anaya recopila en quatre volums aquests contes traduïts al castellà, pero substituïnt les il·lustracions de Bilibin pels il·lustradors actuals Nicolai Troshinsky, Violeta Lópiz, Raquel Aparicio i Beatriz Martín Vidal.

Com la majoria dels mites ancestrals, Baba Yaga dóna peu a moltes interpretacions. Tant pot ser qui controla el pas de la vida a la mort com la bruixa que ajuda a aquells que li fan servei. Pero en tot cas sempre són atributs que pertanyen simbòlicament als d’una àvia, per la seva saviesa o per la creença que la proximitat amb la mort ens torna al punt de partida i ens fa recuperar l’ànima infantil.

També són molts els detalls simbòlics que la descriuen. El seus viatges dins d’un perol, la seva casa, aixecada per unes grans potes de gallina (que també li fan el servei de xancres), els cranis il·luminats que l’envolten o els tres cavallers, blanc, vermell i negre que li guarden el dia, el vespre i la nit.

La pintura de Philip Maliavin, Baba, que significa àvia, ens convida a pensar que canviant la mirada cap a la nostra gent gran, podriem discernir els seus atributs sorprenents i potser màgics.

Disgusting acarians/mites… =/

I saw them on Jodas home on Monday night just before I wanted to got to bed… I was looking more exactly on his cage, because he was scratching on his fur more often than usual. So I noticed a few little white points which moved on the plastic. Acarians!

They are not the worst type of acarians… not dangerous for my little hamster but they are sooo disgusting!!! I had the same a few weeks ago in Lottas cage. I cleaned and desinfected everything soo careful. But obviously – not careful enough…

Until today, I still don’t know where they came from. My vet said that this kind sits in food or litter… so I need to buy a freezer really soon to not have them ever ever again.

So I had to clean my apartment and the hamsters cage the last days again which costs a lot of energy and money, because of the expensive but necessary desinfection spray. And the desinfection spray which kills the acarians is so bad for taking a good breath hurts in your lungs!!

Hope this will be the last time I ever see those unpleasant visitors near my hammies or in my apartment! I’m so tired of cleaning every day with desinfection and stuff!! And I want to take Joda back on some litter… at the moment he sits on unbleached pulp because this is better to follow if there emerge new ones near him… poor master Joda =/

This wouldn’t be such a drama if I weren’t so afraid of all the little vermin… I always have a shiver when I see a spider or smaller creatures -.-
When I’m over with this, I will definetely take more time writing just as I wanted to…

So now I really have to go to bed and sleep.

Too much time lost for cleaning.

Have a good night, day… or… what time it is when you read

edit: I cant't let you just read such bad things. 

So here is a really great Song I love a lot! It’s from the swedisch singer songwriter Anna Ternheim… She has such a lovely voice and adorable style <3

You know, I like a lot from Scandinavia

And… they’re playing on a musical saw

]]> http://arcadianadvocate.wordpress.com/2009/10/31/itchy-and-scratchy/ Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:00:13 +0000 arcadianadvocate http://arcadianadvocate.wordpress.com/2009/10/31/itchy-and-scratchy/

Animals! The wordly wise know very well never to work with animals.. but we are somewhat stuck with hundreds of them.

The latest  problem is the young sow, no use to us for breeding anymore and shortly destined for sausages has gone down with lice or mites just a few days before she was due to be sent away.  

This is a big problem. We cannot give her the usual veterinary treatment for external and internal parasites as there is a 28 day minimum meat withdrawal on this stuff. [We always go well over the minimum]. She must go this week as we need the sausages for a market later in the month.

We have consulted with our vet and collected from the vet’s an organic herbal powder  [similar to this] with which to anoint her with. There is no withdrawal period on this as it is made with natural products and it should help considerably. The only problem is we will need to use a whole lot of this powder to take effect and will have to don goggles and face masks in order not to suffocate ourselves in the process. The pig as you can imagine will not like this particularly and not stay still, so I expect a complete whiteout, or a re-run of the black and white minstrel show, but much more pungent. At least we shouldn’t catch any bugs.

PS Swift and I had a 15 minute ridden meander in the field today. So far so good.

WORLD WAR II was raging around The Netherlands from 1941 to 1944. But in Zeeland province entomologist D.J. Kuenen slogged on with his solitary, long-term studies of climate and rainfall effects on fruit tree red spider mites in apple and plum orchards. Even under the best conditions in peacetime, long-term ecological field studies that could aid in natural pest control are few and far between. The reason is simple: longterm ecological field studies are an expensive, labor-intensive, problematic way to advance a career in academia. The more-assured path to tenure and gainful employment is a series of quick, narrowly-focused lab studies yielding a plethora of speedily published papers in scholarly journals.

DDT and the synthetic pesticide era, along with high-yield chemical farming, exploded in the years immediately after World War II. The tedious years of meticulously gathered data on natural pest control from wind and rainfall (a form of overhead irrigation) was consigned to languish for decades under layers of library dust in tiny articles in obscure journals. Kuenen and his predecessors studying the pest control efficacy of wind and high-pressure water sprays were several decades ahead of their time. Much like the monk Gregor Mendel’s now-celebrated genetic experiments growing wrinkly and smooth garden peas.

Today, the pendulum is swinging back to more natural forms of pest control. Kuenen and his Roaring Twenties predecessors studying wind and rain as natural forms of pest control would be warmly welcomed at sustainable agriculture gatherings today. Ecological field studies showing that heavy rain showers and wind storms blasted away 90% of pesky spider mites would be spurring graduate students and inventive farmers to simulate the natural pest control benefits with artificial wind and water blasts from hoses, sprinklers, and other devices.

Setakat ini penyakit arnab yang telah dijangkiti oleh arnab peliharaan saya ialah wryneck/head tilt, cabis dan fur mites cheyletiella..di sini saya muatkan info berkenaan penyakit2 tersebut.

fur mites cheyletiella ( kutu bulu)

19 Oktober 2009, saya dapati ada bulu Summer yang gugur di bahagian bawah badannya..ada bulat2 kecil yang melekat di bulu. Setelah saya teliti lebih lanjut, didapati ada antara bulat2 kecil tersebut yang bergerak..nie mesti kutu!!

Setelah saya search di internet dan refer kepada blog iceburn (http://arnabkiut.blogspot.com), bulat2 kecil yang saya lihat itu adalah kutu pada bulu arnab.

Tindakan yang saya lakukan ialah membasuh/memandikan sedikit bahagian yang dipercayai ada jangkitan kutu dengan Lifebouy (rakan online di forum BicaraJutawan, cadangkan guna Dettol)..dibilas dgn air dan lap keringkan kawasan tersebut. Alhamdulillah dh xde dh…tapi rupanya ada pulak lagi kutu tersebut di bahagian kaki Summer..nampaknya esok kena cuci lagilah.

Di sini saya sertakan info lanjut berkenaan kutu bulu ini.

*********

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=18+1803&aid=1597

The disease caused by Cheyletiella mites is often called ‘walking dandruff.’ There are 3 common species: Cheyletiella yasguri, C. blakei, and C. parasitivorax. On close observation of an infested rabbit, dog, or cat, it may be possible to see movement of the dandruff on the skin. The movement is caused by the mites moving around under the scales. Cheyletiella mites are found on animals throughout the United States. They generally do not cause significant disease.

What is the life cycle of Cheyletiella mites and how are they transmitted?

The female adult mite lays eggs on the host animal. The eggs hatch into larvae, develop into nymphs, and then adults. The life cycle is about 3 weeks.

The adult mite is transmitted by direct contact between animals. The female mites can live several days while off the host, so it is possible for animals to become infected through environmental contamination, e.g., bedding. The eggs may also contaminate the environment.

What are the symptoms of walking dandruff?

The mites cause skin irritation, usually along the back of the animal. Infested animals may have slight hair loss, scales (dandruff), itching and possibly some thickening of the skin. Rabbits and cats may not show any signs of infestation.

How is an infestation with Cheylettiella diagnosed?

Amb el primer capítol en forma d’exposició d’”El Destí Artificial de la Truja Blanca” s’inicia un conte explicat en forma de poema.

Una truja puja dalt d’un monticle i pren perspectiva.

Podeu veure-la a partir de divendres 16 d’octubre a BAT.

Did you know a story that may never revealed before about GWK?. Maybe if you have visited and are planning a visit to the GWK there have been many media that explains everything related to either GWK written and GWK guide or employee who explained in detail about the GWK.

But may never be told something that I write this. I dare say that the GWK is one of the wonders of God that had to be there.

I was a native of the land that is now established as the Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue. Formerly this place was the hills that still there are many trees and shrubs. One time I played there and come home I’m sick (Balinese say kesambet). That even sick jaundice developed into a variety of treatments have been done by my mother until one day my mother and father heard there was a fairly powerful and often treat people back to health. The man was named Kak Mangku Badra housed in Blahbatuh Gianyar Bali.

My parents called Kak Mangku Badra (hereafter I call the shaman) to our house, and I was treated by him. When it comes to treatment of the shaman magic discovery that I had to pray to the Flying (Where’s the water source under the statue of GWK) and dilukat (doused with water) there.

My parents were looking for a good day to conduct rituals. Because you need to know that the water in the lemur that sometimes there is sometimes no, if someone wanted to get holy water (tirta) lemur that there will be full of water but if it is not even the rainy season it will dry lemur. And by the time I was there dilukat (doused with water ), dry season (even very dry) around the year 1992-1993 when my third grade junior high school.

Both the awaited day that’s came, my parents brought me and the shaman went to perform prayers. Amid the shaman chant he said: “Oh, white shadow across intangible Anoman (white monkey in Ramayana Story)”, The Shaman spell continued a few moments later he said: “Oh, here there will be a very great temple which later became an icon of Bali“. I asked “what kind of temple?”, A very large temple, he said so. Close lemur that was in the open and because I want to get holy water, lemur that was full of water. And I started dilukat (doused with water ) by holy water and given by the shaman. My disease was cured until now.

After coming back from the lemur’s me because it’s shaped a lot of hills and bushes, we went home on foot and because it was not far from my house about 10 minutes’ walk. I always ringing in my hear that here there will be a large temple, the temple was like what?. My view swept across the hills and in my heart to say this is not possible, it is not possible, there will be here to cook a big temple.

Even when I graduated high school and since I graduated in UMPTN, I continue my study to ITS Surabaya I still wonder what kind of play that?.

Around the year 1998 I was college in Surabaya, I heard from my family in Bali that there would be laying of the stone by Tourism Minister Joop AP that time. The laying of the stone is as a basis for establishing Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue. And at the time the new answered questions in my heart. Oh, this was a big temple is meant by the healer.

After I finished college I had also worked in Surabaya, by my parents, I was asked to go home. I went home and every time I have time to see Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue that had to be asked in my mind. In my heart this is spoken “ this is one God works a miracle and will become an icon of Bali”.

Although I have never worked or engaged in any of GWK, I always pray that this works quickly realized, and I believe any experienced processes or bypassed during the construction although this world fall down, I believe GWK (Garuda Wisnu Kencana Statue) will continue to create the perfect .

In my dreamt, I already can see the perfect shape of GWK statue, so if you read this paper. I dare to invite you to come to the GWK, recreation there, thinking of a great work of God is perfect. Do not miss that you can also witness the grace of God in his work. And for you investors can invest there, and participating to accelerate the process of world development. Because GWK sooner or later must be fully formed and emit matchless beauty. Certainly will be the pride of this nation.

Doncs aquí tenim a un dels personatges més rics del món, sense cap mena de dubte, i aquí el tenim fent un discurs en anglès… No diré res de la realització del vídeo, tot i que té molt a desitjar i una mica més de llum no li hagués anat amalament per contrarestar el llum exterior… no hi havia un lloc millor?

Però el “quit” del post és l’anglès que demostra Emilio Botín. Un anglés macarrònic digne de les películes de Fernando Esteso lligant amb les sueques…

No té desperdici:

from: thedairysite.com

“One of the most challenging characteristics of flies is their behaviour of being in contact with livestock for only short periods of time. Adequate control can sometimes be difficult because measures must be applied at precisely the right time, P.E. Kaufman, P.G. Koehler and J.F. Butler of the University of Florida, IFAS.”

Full Article Here

Hazelnuts can be cultivated in hot climatic regions. These regions should have sufficient supply of water to produce quality nuts. These nuts tend to provide better results to all dietary needs exhibited by the body. Several vitamins can be extracted out of these nuts. These nuts are active ingredients of rich protein that are essential to carry out all the basic functions in human body. The climatic conditions and available nutrients from the soil determine the quality of nut obtained through cultivation. Also one needs to understand about the basic methodology about the hazelnut cultivation.

Issues in Hazelnut cultivation

Hazelnut cultivation is carried out in countries like Australia. The ambient conditions in these countries facilitate the production of nutrient-rich nuts. These nuts can also be exported to other countries to fetch huge profits. Hazelnut cultivation involves presence of soil that tends to permit adequate penetration of roots deep inside the soil. These nuts can be cultivated in the spring season so that adequate temperature is maintained. Presence of nutrients such as phosphorous is essential to get better growth. But there are certain issues that tend to produce massive impact over the growth of hazelnut cultivation. Elimination of pests is some of defining tasks to be carried out by the cultivators.

Pests in hazelnut cultivation

There are several kinds of pests that are present in the fields wherein hazelnut cultivation takes place are Almond moth, hazel aphid, beetle and mites. These tend to hinder the normal growth of hazelnuts. Bud mite that causes severe damage to hazelnuts should be identified early. Also presence of hazel aphid can cause direct impact over the crops. The big beetles and bud mites can inhibit the initial growth of crop. This can also institute the entry of secondary damages caused by pests. These serve as platform for attack from other pests too.

Pest control techniques

There are several pest control methodologies adopted by the people. Using organic fertilizers can bring down pests level considerably. Also one can maintain proper balance between organic fertilizers and soil nutrients by initiating growth of insects and plants that are beneficial for hazelnut crop. This is widely used method of pest control.

Article Summary:

Hazelnut cultivation involves effective management of pests by using proper pest control methods. There are varieties of pests that cause damage to growth pf hazelnut crops. Using organic fertilizers attack from pests such as bud mites can be prevented. Also employing proper beneficial insects growth can eliminate some of common pests involved in hazelnut cultivation.

Resource Box Info: One may get sufficient information about easy pest control methods adopted in hazel nut cultivation. To gain some more details about hazelnut pest control, one can visit http://www.agricultureguide.org/. This website offers comprehensive knowledge about the hazelnut cultivation techniques.

Els precs que he fet als éssers suposadament superiors perquè em toqués aquest agost el Euromillones, el Especial de la Once o la primera Quiniela de l’any no han donat els seus fruits, per tant demà hem de tornar al que es considera que “ens dignifica”…

Potser molts dels que estareu llegint això, pensareu: Mira aquest babau, de què es queixa, si té feina! I tindreu raó, sóc un babau, tinc feina! I dir això en els temps que corren és dir molt!

Però reconeguem una cosa: Qui va ser el savi que es va inventar el 1 de setembre? I qui va ser el savi que va inventar-se els diners…??? I millor, qui és el savi que es va inventar la feina? I molt pitjor, però molt, eh? Qui és el savi que s’inventa unes vacances d’un mes, perquè t’acostumis i després te les treuen?

Res, com veieu, el món és plè de despropòsits… per tant: Llarga vida!!!

P.D: En breu farem un resum de les vacances amb imatges que encara haig de recopilar…

Ah! una cosa, no deixeu de visitar: www.meteoarbucies.com Ara si que si!!!!

This is taken from a comment left by Rob on my Morgellons and More Cases of Collembola Infesting Man post.

Quote from Mr. Common Sense …

I worked at a certain company when I came down with this, I believe at least 15 or so people had it there (by the time I realized what I had). When I first got this real bad I sat in a conference room chair (30 year old cloth chairs) and the crawling was unbelievable, I didn’t know what to to do so I just sat there. I was just learning of my condition at that time. What ever was causing the crawling sensation was definitely in the chair, but others had sat there time after time and felt nothing.

Now, I still know some of those people as I have moved on from that place. When we meet and shake hands my hands burn, itch, crawl for at least 3 or 4 days maybe more and it will move on to my entire body.

Rob’s Comment

When I read this . I had to read it 2 or 3 times. This was exactly what I Experience. About 2 years ago I came down with this Unknown Burning on the back of the hands and sometimes feet Pin pricks itch, and crawling experience. It was a Horrible time. It lasted about 6 months after trying everything from tea tree oil. to Anti parasite herbs. Cleaning my whole house out. After some time it went away. I thought I got it from a friend. She was a Backpacker from Japan. When she went back to Japan she left some clothes and books in a cupboard . I never touched them until last week when I decided to throw them out . That’s when it all started again. First i noticed a burning of the back of the hands and then pin pricks all over my body again. I thought OH NO here we go again. I cant believe that they can live off books and clothes for nearly 2 years. I don’t want to go through this all over again.

This has been my experience too. There is something, some external component to this that is responsible for most of the crawling and biting. However, and let me be clear on this, this is only happening to us because of the devastating process going on internally which is very real and serious, Morgellons is not external, it is internal.  Now, even years removed from that company there are people that I still know that if I get around or they physically touch me in any way the crawling will start back up (yet they feel nothing). But now I can quickly beat it back, probably by that very same evening. Some of these folks you can tell are annoyed by something on their skin but they haven’t a clue what is going on, but many don’t feel this yet they carry whatever it is or cause the reaction in me for whatever reason. I know I didn’t give Morgellons to them, some had it bad long before I got there (one even had big lesions). Also, this happens to me when I get around pets (sorry pet owners) as I think they are major carriers of what causes the crawling and biting sensations. However, let’s examine what might be causing this.

What Could Cause this Kind of Reaction?

First, Rob’s comments are in no way novel. I have heard this story so many times it should not be news to you. The forums are full of such reports. Scabies? In Rob’s case, no way, in 4 days Scabies die off the host. To handle clothes that have been stored for months and years and then become “re-infected” as it were is not possible with Scabies. This has happened to me too, that is, bringing out old clothing and getting the crawlies back. As fall approaches and I begin to rotate in new clothing you can bet they will be washed at least twice with Dr. Bonners before I wear them. No, this is definitely not scabies.

I think this (not Morgellons, but the crawling sensation) could only be one of two things.

It’s either an Arthropod such as a mite or Collembola (springtail) or an extreme allergy to Arthropods. When a person first gets Scabies it could take a month or two before they actually begin to notice them. And believe it or not, a person will usually only have a few dozen at most on their body (though it can feel like millions on you). However, once free of them if a person becomes re-infected they will usually notice the re-infection immediately because their body now reacts so negatively to the presence of Scabies, a  histamine reaction of sorts. This is the same thing that is happening to us, only it cannot be Scabies in our case they would not live off the host for months and even years at a time.

Could it be a fungus? Well, in my opinion I find it hard to believe that fungus living on stored clothing that has been washed could be the culprit, but Arthropods have been proven to survive washing cycles, and even drying cycles.

Did you know still today, by far, the #1 search from Google and other search engines that bring folks to this blog are searches regarding Collembola infestations of humans? That’s right, people everywhere seem to be searching on this.

Here’s how I think I eliminated the crawling from my life (though, as I have stated, I can still get the feeling back but it’s usually gone within 24 hours).

I live out of a single laundry basket, wash my clothes in Dr. Bonners Peppermint Soap and shower with the Sulfur Soap which is a powerful and known Arthropod killer. The first time I ever experience a crawling free day was using Trisha’s soaps, especially the green stuff you rub on after the shower. I think it literally gummed up the Arthropods such that they couldn’t move. However, also very effective is the sulfur soap on my Poor Mans Protocol. Key to this though long term is correcting your terrain. Did you know an acidic PH lies behind most allergies?

The Unexplainable

When I did have this really bad and worked at the company where I know for a fact others also had this very badly they only had to get within say three feet of me and I would feel a sort of “extreme crawling or electrical feeling” like I was standing near a high voltage generator. It was unmistakable and very real. Then, when I left that company and went to another company I noticed that upon entering a conference room everyone almost immediately (when I was within their line of site – came around the corner into the room)  reached up and itched their noses. This happened to at least 50% of those in the room and I could be 20 feet from them. This has been reported by others many times as well. I remember a guy on LymeBusters who had written on a piece of paper “You will be itching your nose” and showed it to every doctor he went to see. This would freak them out because it always happened. I always wondered what could travel so fast from me to them that could cause this?

This of course no longer happens for me. I was horrified to go to the weekly status meeting, the effect I had on the room was profound but nobody had a clue what was going on.

Just a side note, whenever I go into a Wallmart I get the same feeling I get from being around animals, the crawling starts right up, then home for a quick shower with my sulfur soap and all is well. I have a good idea what is going on here, but will save that for another post. I am curious to hear your comments, especially if you have experienced similar things.

El Periódico aquest estiu fa unes entrevistes a personatges, de vegades més famososo, de vegades menys… es diuen: La felicitat en una pissarra. Avui era el torn de Carles Flavià i ens quedem amb la frase que potser el pot definir més bé:

9. Descrigui com seria per a vostè una nit perfecta d’aquest estiu.
Jo de Blancaneu i amb set nanetes crescudetes.

És un crack i per això em fa riure, perquè és tal i com el podeu veure a la TV. Jo sempre el defineixo com un “vividor panxa contenta amb criteri”…

Have you ever seen a mite up close. Here is one we found in the course of our work.

Mites found during Pest Control Inspection

You should be aware of these little, but very nasty creatures. When they are on the move, it “mite” be for you, at night. Honestly, this is not a scare tactic, just fact. It’s not all about bed bugs. Just go ask the folks who frequent birdmites.org Customers used to call us with complaints of spider bites that we couldn’t solve. Then came the bed bug epidemic and we started looking at other possibilities. Now we know that it is often mites, bird mites, rat mites or some other form of mite.

We were recently cleaning out our land snails and millipede when we came across masses of very small white bugs, less than a millimetre long.  They were crawling over the animals and especially over their droppings and when disturbed they would appear to jump or suddenly accelerate.  The substrate (forest floor/soil type material) was covered in them.

I wasn’t sure what these little beasties were so quickly consulted my friend Jon at New World Exotics near Nottingham.  After a brief exchange for description purposes, Jon advised me that these were springtails, very small creatures  that are a real benefit to the animals and to their ecosystem.

Springtails are scavengers that thrive on decaying plant matter and are also equally at home on the droppings of other minibeasts, like our snails and millipede.  There are of no threat to our pets. They can be distinguished from mites which move slowly and look almost round.  Springtails are more diamond-shaped and can be differentiated from  mites in they they jump (apparently involuntarily as an escape mechanism when disturbed).  Mites move slowly and do not jump.

Most springtails just ‘appear’ in the vivarium, especially if it is planted with natural plants (as opposed to artificial decorations) and they like a humid atmosphere.

Jon is someone who loves to put his animals into naturally planted environments whenever possible and told me that he always looks to encourage springtails into the vivaria where he can as they are ‘natural composting machines’ which contribute positively to the ecosystem of the vivarium.   Apparently, it is not unusual for the whole floor or surface of the substrate to be covered in springtails (estimates suggest they can number up to 40000 per square metre).

So if you’ve been wondering or worried about new visitors in your vivarium, providing they move relatively quickly and jump when disturbed, you may have found a friend.

I tried to take some photos from my own tanks which do contain springtails but I couldn’t produce anything that was helpful.   However, Iwas more successful with the land snail so I’ve included a picture below … if you look carefully you can see white dots on its shell; many of these are springtails! 

If you want to find out more try doing a web search under ’springtails vivarium’ or ’springtails’ and you’ll turn up loads of extra information.

Giant African Land Snail with Springtails on Shell

Until next time …