Which Insects do you reallly have to watch out for in Africa? I know about Tetse flies and malaria carrying mosquito's. But also what other insects really Bug you on Safari?

Crabs....

ticks can be a pain in the ass!

Africa is a big place....
What might 'bug' you on Lake Victoria might not affect you in Cape Town...Kind of like what bugs you get in Chiapas might not affect you in Colorado.

Depends where you are travelling and when.

Andy

Mopane flies are not dangerous and they are actually tiny bees but they swarm around you to get moisture from your sweat and can be quite maddening.

Personally I have found nothing in Africa to compare with the black flies in the North woods of the Mid West and New England or the mosquitos and no-see'ums of Alaska.

Mark

Be sure to watch for these guys:



(Okay, so it's an arthopod and not an insect. I couldn't help myself.)

Mosquitos and ticks. The mosquito bites, for me, really hurt, then itch like hell. The ticks are a pain because even with spray etc., they still get you.

Here is my pasty white leg after one day of buff hunting. We squatted in the grass for about an hour, and walked through 6 foot high stuff for about 3 hours.

I stopped counting at 100 bites. One definitely needs anti itch cream - I couldn't sleep without it. Available in any pharmacy store.

Man 404 I hope you got your Buff after getting that many bites on your leg!!

Ticks are bad, they can give you Tick Fever which isn't fun.

As I and 450 No2 can attest, spiders can be a whole lot of trouble.

465H&H

Curious, did any of the insect victims treat their clothing beforehand with permanone?

I got bitten by a spider. I did not know it for days. Wound up in the hospital.

My recommendation to you would be to watch all strange bumps very closely. Trust me, you do not want to go through what I went through.

[QUOTE]The mosquito bites, for me, really hurt, then itch like hell.[QUOTE]

Hmmm, I forgot my bug repellant for an evening in a blind and the mosquitos bit me real bad until the breeze picked up. I didn't have a welt or itch in what had to be a lot of bites.

Have any of the rest of you had the pleasure (?) of being around when the termites swarm after the first good rain? In the Save last December I had that dubious distinction. We got back to after dark, of course, and around every light was a swarm of two-inch long termites you couldn't stir with a stick. They were everywhere...in the bathroom, in the tent, in the main house. It was like waging war just trying to get to bed.

Then, in the morning they were all gone, not to be seen again.

Yes, everybody reacts differently to mosquito bites, those African bug(gers) really get to me.

I did not treat my clothing. Some guys only wear long pants, and some, long sleeve shirts too. That would eliminate a lot of problems. I just got in the habit of shorts.

I too got hit by a spider - very weird, not too bad, only a "partial" bite, but still had quite a reaction.

Very important to shake out all your clothes and shoes, gloves, hats etc. The spider was inside my glove. Many times I have found ticks in my clothing. Try to sit in a tub (if available) or shower right away and drown/identify and remove ticks every night. Its really not so bad - just an inconvenience.

Does DEET keep ticks and chiggers away? I looked at the Deep Woods Off website to see how much DEET is in that product and read "The #1 selling repellent, OFF! Deep Woods ® contains 25% DEET to give you effective protection from biting insects, especially in heavily wooded areas. It also provides protection against disease-carrying ticks, mosquitoes, black flies, sand flies, chiggers, fleas, gnats, and no-see-ums."

Does anyone know if it works for all this stuff? I know it works for mosquitoes.

Thanks

This is an interesting topic...

Most of Africa has more bugs that are a 'threat' (eg nasty bites or are disease vectors ) but I find them seldom irritating or a major problem (with some exceptions of course) - like driver ants in your coffee! I find bugs in Canada to be a major pain in the butt, I remember paddling in Quebc and just not wanting to scout any drops, rather run rapids blind than deal with the mozzies and black flies on the bank.

I often appreciate the cold river/weather conditions in BC in Spring as it gives you excuse to wear a dry suit - no bug bites!

The tropical area rivers in Ecuador are no exception -sandflies by the millions (can you say swollen itching rash like patches!!!!)

Nope, I love creepy crawlies, so I'll take the interesting diversity of most of Africa over the shear irritation of mozzies/black flies any day!

PS, I don't know about the US but I think in Canada 30% DEET is the most you can buy?
I have seen European stuff that goes 70-90% !!!

I refuse to use it....its poisonous rubbish and man, it damages outdoor gear. Buy youself a superb tent and some moron puts their 70% DEET hands all over it and 'burns' the material....I saw a guy on one of my trips melt his fingerprints into his plastic camera body with a high DEET rubbish on his hands!!!

No way....perhaps in severe malaria areas, otherwise no irrtataion warrants that toxic gunk on my body/gear!

In Texas we use sulfur in a small amount in a sock. Just gently pat yourself down all over, I mean up to your neck. Don't make yourself yellow, just a little. This keeps off ticks,mosquitos and my personal favorite, friggin chiggers. I use this mainly bow hunting and dove hunting. By the way a great way to kill those damn chiggers is to take a couple cap fulls of Lysol(the brown stuff) and mix it in a couple inches of bath water. Use a handcloth and rub it all over. Just don't get it on you privates,it will set you on fire. You smell like hell but stops the itching and kills chiggers instantly. Just a thought.

I'm not particularly fond of the wasps you get in Africa - in Oz wasps are small and only attack if you really annoy them (like trying to burn their nests).

Earlier this month I was hunting with Buzz Charlton in Omay for PAC ele. Buzz pointed out a ball like nest in a tree and indicated that I should duck down when passing it. Now, Buzz is not the tallest guy in the world, and neither are any members of his crew. I'm over 6ft an d was using crutches so couldn't duck down. One of the wasps attacked from about 12ft away and these are big buggers - 3-4" long. It bit me on the ear and really hurt. The wasp kept buzzing around my head and I moved away as quickly as I could.

Buzz is a fearless PH and I am sure would not turn a hair at an ele or buff charge but he sure ran away quickly when I moved towards with that wasp following.

Certainly the most painful insect bite I've had, took about an hour to settle down and was still tender and swollen 4 days later.

BTW I got a bull ele later that morning.

mike

Kayaker,

A few years ago I bought 100% DEET from REI in the US. It is toxic and will burn plastic but if one is careful that stuff sure works! As for burning fingerprints in a camera body...that's what one gets for buying plastic cameras!

My most annoying insect experience was with Rose Beetles in Zimbabwe. THOUSANDS of the things absolutely everywhere in November.

Best,

John

and carnivorous ants :


10 years ago I bought 100% DET in Alaska and I am still using it.

quote:

A few years ago I bought 100% DEET from REI in the US. It is toxic and will burn plastic but if one is careful that stuff sure works! As for burning fingerprints in a camera body...that's what one gets for buying plastic cameras!

JTG, true, but plastic bodies seems almost the norm now, nothing like the old Nikon FM's - like the CZ of camera's!

I guess I don't use DEET for 2 reasons, 1) health (unless the possibility of insect borne disease outweighs it and 2) environmental, but hose my personal feelings.

I hear you on the Rose beetles (AKA 'Christmas' beetles). Where I usually lay my hat is in Parys in the OFS and love the night-time mayfly hatches that cover the walls at times...you know that a dark #14 Adams floated at dusk will produce yellowfish

I bought a Nikon FM3 late last year and have yet to melt it!


I wish I had time for fishing here....but I honestly have no idea what flies to use when the main thing floating in the Nile is garbage. LOL!

Best,

John

I have seen on the web and heard that Aswan is superb for Nile Perch. I think fly is tough there due to water depth but don't know, it is being done though...if you are up the trip out of town, sure you are!

Be careful a "pissbugs" it is a beetle that secretes a "liquid concoction" of what seems like Hydrochloric acid onto your skin. This creates massive blisters and does not heal for up to 6 months. Had a nap under a tree in the mid day heat that was full of these buggers. Very sore and not pleasant

Ghundwan refers above to what we call a "blister beetle". If you get sprayed by the bug these blisters (often you wake up with them) often appear like bad burn blisters. Treatment is simple. Get in a shower and pop the blister ENSURING that you wash all the contents way way out. Shower or pour lots of water on until you are sure you have got rid of all the fluid. Then apply betadine or any iodine based ointment to the site and you should heal quickly and with little discomfort. If you get some of the fluid on to yourself it will result in another blister so a careful wash is very important. Hope that helps.

When ever i get those kind of bites i allways take a shower with detol soap and it helps alot.

Hamdeni

quote:

Originally posted by 404WJJeffery:
Mosquitos and ticks. The mosquito bites, for me, really hurt, then itch like hell. The ticks are a pain because even with spray etc., they still get you.

Here is my pasty white leg after one day of buff hunting. We squatted in the grass for about an hour, and walked through 6 foot high stuff for about 3 hours.

I stopped counting at 100 bites. One definitely needs anti itch cream - I couldn't sleep without it. Available in any pharmacy store.

To the question of Deet. The current industry standard for safe insect protection is Deet/permethrin, on clothing and deet on skin. It's safer than getting any of the various tick fevers, malaria, arboviruses, and other kinds of creeping crud. The amount of permethrin used is really low, and works as a repellant rather than a pesticide. On the skin, use deet, just follow the label of the product. Many websites will tell you that 30% deet is enough. Some studies have shown better effect from higher concentrations. High concentration stuff will melt plastic, peel paint and stain fabric. Most will burn like hell if you get it in your eyes. Remember it does not last all day, again, manufacturers have all kinds of additives that make their product better than their competitors, and will explain how to use their product on their label.