Prevention of Bug Bites, Stings, and Disease

352 Pages·2009·4.94 MB·English

by  Daniel Strickman

PREVENTION OF
BUG BITES, STINGS,
✹
AND DISEASE
O
DANIEL STRICKMAN
STEPHEN P. FRANCES
MUSTAPHA DEBBOUN
with illustrations by Rachel Strickman
1
2009
1
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Copyright © 2009 by Oxford University Press, Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Strickman, Daniel.
Prevention of bug bites, stings, and disease / Daniel Strickman, Stephen P.
Frances, Mustapha Debboun ; with illustrations by Rachel Strickman.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-19-536577-1; 978-0-19-536578-8 (pbk.)
1. Arthropoda. 2. Bites and stings. I. Frances, Stephen P.
II. Debboun, Mustapha. III. Title.
QL434.S95 2009
613.6–dc22 2008022390
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
This book is dedicated with love to my parents, Alfred and
Lorraine, who tolerated toads, pelicans, and many jars, bottles,
and boxes of bugs—the early foundation of an entomologist.
—Daniel Strickman
This book is dedicated with love to my wife, Alicia.
—Stephen Frances
This book is dedicated with love to my four brothers and four
sisters; my beautiful and loving wife, Natalie; our wonderful
children, Ameena, Adam, and David; and to the memory of
my parents.
—Mustapha Debboun
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CONTENTS
Foreword by Graham B. White ix
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xvii
1. What’s Biting Me? 1
2. Location, Location, Location 21
3. When Is Enough Enough? 45
4. Stop Them at the Source 62
5. WANTED: Dead or Dead 78
6. Good Fences Make Good Neighbors 105
7. Suit Up! 123
8. Put on Something Natural 131
9. Repellents That Work 174
10. Formulation: The Choice Is Up to You 198
11. How Do I Know What Works? 206
12. How Do I Know That It’s Safe? 219
13. Will It Hurt? Toxic Stings and Bites 230
14. Future Directions 270
15. Putting It All Together 274
Glossary 289
References 293
Index 303
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FOREWORD
Humans apparently lack the innate ability to recognize crea-
tures which might harm us, unless they are obviously menac-
ing predators such as tigers and sharks. Little bugs that want
to feed on us or to injure us for their self-defense are mostly
inconspicuous and stealthy in their approaches to our bodies.
We learn about them by the painful experiences of their bites
and stings, despite parental warnings. Children have a natural
curiosity to touch and play with almost everything, until they
understand what to fear and avoid. And most adults remain
only vaguely aware of how to recognize hazardous bugs and
to distinguish them from the majority of harmless species. For
the majority of folks, therefore, this helpful book explains what
to watch out for and how to limit the risks of regrettable
encounters with bugs that are capable of hurting us.
Whereas the aesthetics of beautiful butterfl ies and useful
ladybugs are widely appreciated, some people become gen-
erally phobic of “creepy-crawlies” and may even experience
delusory parasitosis1 in which they imagine themselves to be
infested with microscopic bugs, wrongly blaming specks of dirt,
fi bers, and scabs formed where they scratch habitually.2 Hope-
fully this book offers particular comfort for entomophobic
and other individuals seeking guidance on how to avoid, repel,
and identify harmful bugs. Culturally, the fear of bugs has been
exploited in numerous fi ctional books and fi lms: almost 100
scary movies3 featuring giant bugs exaggerate and distort the
realities described in this volume.
Few potentially harmful bugs actually appear to be dan-
gerous. Aggressive wasps (yellow jackets) and bees have