Creepy Crawlies

Lil Amy, I'm glad you're on the mend, I meant to say that last time I posted on this thread only I was so freaked about by the thought of those little running critters!!!!!!!! :o

And Glenda, we have flying ants here for about 2 days a year and I can't go outside so 3 weeks!!!!! :o

MB I may very well buy shares in this company ;D ;D

I don't know why I can't handle them, well I do and it relates back to when I was a kid, but no other little creeping crawling thing bothers me at all. I can cope with maggots, cockroaches, spiders, daddy longlegs, beetles, worms anything.....just NOT THEM!! One or two at a time is my limit and they usually come in larger numbers than that don't they. Really don't want to think about it :P

Perhaps we should be a tad worried about these little critters.

Asian tiger mosquito alarm at port
Updated 11:40AM Tuesday March 06, 2007


The Asian tiger mosquito can spread dengue fever and yellow fever.

Biosecurity workers have set traps for exotic mosquitos around Shed 8 at Auckland's port complex after finding what is thought to be an adult male Asian tiger mosquito.

The area where the suspect mosquito was found is where a number of Pacific trading vessels dock and load and unload risk goods -- it has been the site of several of the previous 57 interceptions of exotic mosquitos.

John Gardner, a senior adviser on biosecurity at the Health Ministry, last night said confirmation of the species should be available from Australia today.

This mosquito species is found in Asia and some Pacific islands and has become established in the United States, Brazil, Argentina and Europe.

It can spread a wide range of debilitating diseases, including dengue fever, japanese encephalitis virus, west nile virus, and yellow fever.

More here .

[smiley=icon_eek.gif]

I would pay an extra cent in income tax for a better bio-screen for these nasties.

Thank goodness NZ cares enough to try to do something about it.

Asian tiger mosquito confirmed at Port Auckland
5:00AM Wednesday March 07, 2007

The mosquito caught in a trap at Port Auckland's Shed 8 last Thursday has been confirmed as an asian tiger mosquito.

The initial biosecurity response mounted by the Ministry of Health was yesterday handed over to Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries' Biosecurity NZ arm.

The biosecurity staff are now trying to work out if the mosquito was a new arrival or from a population which has already secretly established in Auckland.

"We can't say at this stage if we're dealing with a resident population of these
mosquitoes or if it was imported," Biosecurity NZ spokeswoman Sonya Bissmire said.

She said the male mosquito was an unexpected catch in the light trap, but though only one mosquito had so far been found, the incursion had to be taken seriously because the species was capable of spreading many serious human diseases, including dengue fever, yellow fever, and various types of encephalitis.

More here .

[MotherBear]

No further evidence of tiger mosquito found
7:00PM Thursday May 24, 2007

An extensive search at the Ports of Auckland has failed to find any more of the potentially disease-carrying Asian tiger mosquitoes, Biosecurity New Zealand says.

Alarm bells rang after a single mosquito was caught in a trap at the port's Shed 8 on March 1 and was confirmed as an asian tiger mosquito five days later.

The discovery led to the launch of an extensive detection programme by the Ministry of Health's mosquito surveillance programme to ensure no more of the mosquitoes existed.

The male mosquito is capable of spreading many serious human diseases, including dengue fever, yellow fever and various types of encephalitis.

Biosecurity New Zealand response manager Sonya Bissmire said the work involved removing or treating mosquito habitat in a 1km radius from the find including receptacles which stored water for long periods and sumps beneath the city.

A large number of mosquito traps were deployed in the area and monitored regularly for mosquito larvae, she said.

"During this time no more asian tiger mosquitoes were detected, and we're confident that a population has not established."

Ms Bissmire thanked the help from the public in reporting suspected mosquitoes in the area.

People should continue to report nuisance biting mosquitoes to the Ministry of Health's hotline -- 0800 MOZZIE, she said.

- NZPA

From here

[MotherBear]

No further evidence of tiger mosquito found
7:00PM Thursday May 24, 2007

An extensive search at the Ports of Auckland has failed to find any more of the potentially disease-carrying Asian tiger mosquitoes, Biosecurity New Zealand says.

Alarm bells rang after a single mosquito was caught in a trap at the port's Shed 8 on March 1 and was confirmed as an asian tiger mosquito five days later.

The discovery led to the launch of an extensive detection programme by the Ministry of Health's mosquito surveillance programme to ensure no more of the mosquitoes existed.

The male mosquito is capable of spreading many serious human diseases, including dengue fever, yellow fever and various types of encephalitis.

Biosecurity New Zealand response manager Sonya Bissmire said the work involved removing or treating mosquito habitat in a 1km radius from the find including receptacles which stored water for long periods and sumps beneath the city.

A large number of mosquito traps were deployed in the area and monitored regularly for mosquito larvae, she said.

"During this time no more asian tiger mosquitoes were detected, and we're confident that a population has not established."

Ms Bissmire thanked the help from the public in reporting suspected mosquitoes in the area.

People should continue to report nuisance biting mosquitoes to the Ministry of Health's hotline -- 0800 MOZZIE, she said.

- NZPA

From here

[missvee]

Thought I would give you my account of being bitten. It happened about 3 weeks ago. I woke up to find some marks on my calf, it was a bit itchy. Didn't think anything more until this itching drove me mad and the red area seemed to be getting redder and itchier. About 3 days later after my keep applying tea tree oil, it became hard, inflamed andsore and very itchy. I felt really crap too. I didn't have a doctor at the time, I went along to the pharmacy, I am a great believer in self help and not paying doctors. They said it was probably a white tailed spider bite. I haven't seen the little monster. Apparently they hunt other spiders and depending on what spider they eat the bite can be nasty? They climb into discarded clothes that are hung up on the floor! They like climbing into bed with you to keep warm but if you disturb them they bite you. I had anti histamines and paracetamol and brufen for inflammation. It did start to go and I now have a slight red mark there, my war wound. In all it lasted over a week.
I do recommend you go to the doctors as the mark was bigger than a 50p, made me feel ill and some people may have a reaction to the bite, rather like bee stings. Children will probably feel it more and men as they get man flu
Sorry guys. i don't know if it was White tailed but can't think of any other nasty that would do that.
Vee

[Bermy Girl]

One of my mates was bitten by a white tailed spider while at work in a warehouse. He ended up in the hospital for two days while they pumped antibiotics into him and they actually ended up cutting and draining the actual bite. Didn't sound like fun to me...but there were no lasting affects...so far...

[kokopeli]

Has anyone come across a pseudo-scorpion? We've found two or three in various places - motel bathrooms and showers usually. They're a spider, but the front two legs have developed into big pincers, just like a scorpion. They're not very big - the ones we found were about 1cm long - but they're really fiesty. They rear up and (honest to God) they spit and swear at you if you go near them. Didn't have a camera, but found this picture in a book.

[Dawn]

f*&!?in bo*^?!ks!!! And I don't swear! Who the hell told me there weren't any nasties in NZ!! I'm gonna string em up by their same bo*^?!ks!!!!!!