New Rider
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Joined: Mar 6, 2013 11:12:17 GMT -5
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Post by kattman on Jun 9, 2014 20:09:56 GMT -5
3 days ago a coworkers husband got bit by a Copperhead. The antivenin shot cost them $10,000! No JOKE
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Post by captaincrunnk on Jun 27, 2014 9:57:21 GMT -5
This thread has brought me so much joy haha. oldchopperguy you sure know how to tell a story. Being in South Jersey I don't have much to worry about on the snake front, but we do have some pretty nasty spiders that I have no desire to ever encounter crawling up my leg while cruising around (or at all!) since I'm allergic to most spider bites (not the deadly kind of allergic, just the swelly, painful, burning kind). I assure you that would be the first day I come here to tell a tale of me dumping my bike! Glad to hear it was simply a friendly "hey how are ya!?" rather than something serious! |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 27, 2014 11:18:44 GMT -5
This thread has brought me so much joy haha. oldchopperguy you sure know how to tell a story. Being in South Jersey I don't have much to worry about on the snake front, but we do have some pretty nasty spiders that I have no desire to ever encounter crawling up my leg while cruising around (or at all!) since I'm allergic to most spider bites (not the deadly kind of allergic, just the swelly, painful, burning kind). I assure you that would be the first day I come here to tell a tale of me dumping my bike! Glad to hear it was simply a friendly "hey how are ya!?" rather than something serious!
Captaincrunnk,
Welcome to the site!
Yeah, SNAKES we got... And SPIDERS we got... Fortunately, most of the snakes are pretty shy (except for "Cottonmouth" Water-Moccasins) which are WAY too aggressive for my taste... LOL! The SPIDERS are pretty "reclusive" like the Brown Recluse namesake... But they're EVERYWHERE. Brown Recluses, Black Widows, Tarantulas, and a "plethora" of itty-bitty jumping spiders that can deliver a wasp-like bite. And there are a particularly nasty breed of smooth (not hairy) LARGE spiders almost pink in color that nobody seems to know anything about, which make LONG webs between structures, vehicles, etc.
These CREEPY spiders aren't common, but tend to make long webs between a tree or car-port, and your scooter... In the dark, it's all too easy to walk into the web, depositing the spider in your hair, down your shirt, etc. My neighbor-lady got bitten this way, and it put her in the hospital for months, and almost killed her. I always check for those telltale long webs when going near the car or scooter...
Probably the most common "bite" problem comes from the Black Widow or Brown Recluse nesting in the sleeve of that old jacket or sport-coat in the back of the closet which you haven't worn in a year or two... Ya jus' gotta turn those sleeves inside-out and give 'em a good shake!
But I don't think my "hood" even compares with Florida for biting critters... And then there's AUSTRALIA... The Aussies just about have a corner on the market for things that bite and sting... LOL!
I'm not crazy about snakes, but spiders really DO creep me out. Just me... There's just something extra-sinister about the eight-leggers. In all honesty, you're much more likely to meet your demise at a red-light from a car-jacker, or getting creamed by a drunk in a 4x4 who watched "Easy Rider" one too many times, using you for a "target" than from a snake or bug... The REALLY dangerous vermin walk on TWO legs.
Watch yer' six...
Leo in Texas
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Post by rockynv on Jun 27, 2014 12:16:28 GMT -5
It's the ones with six eyes that you have to watch out for while the eight eyed spiders are generally pretty safe. Problem is that once your close enough to count the eyes its usually too late.
I was bitten by a spider (possibly South American as I am sure I heard an accent) in November which left me bruised up like I had been beaten with a baseball bat and knocked me off my feet for several days. We set up a night vision camera one night while we were sitting out in the yard and it was a real experience viewing the video afterwards. Spiders floating by on parachutes made of web, scampering around on the ground around our feet and surprise, surprise an unnerving number of bats we did not have a clue were even there.
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Post by captaincrunnk on Jun 27, 2014 12:28:40 GMT -5
It's the ones with six eyes that you have to watch out for while the eight eyed spiders are generally pretty safe. Problem is that once your close enough to count the eyes its usually too late. I was bitten by a spider (possibly South American as I am sure I heard an accent) in November which left me bruised up like I had been beaten with a baseball bat and knocked me off my feet for several days. We set up a night vision camera one night while we were sitting out in the yard and it was a real experience viewing the video afterwards. Spiders floating by on parachutes made of web, scampering around on the ground around our feet and surprise, surprise an unnerving number of bats we did not have a clue were even there. My god... That sounds like my nightmare!  |
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Post by SylvreKat on Jun 27, 2014 21:55:37 GMT -5
Yeah, spiders are creepy. I realize they do a good thing eating lots of gnats and skeeters and bugs. And I've made a deal with the ones around here--if you're out in the yard, you're good. But anywhere on or in the house (including deck and porch), you DIE DIE DIE!!!!!!!! (imagine shoe-wielding crazy blonde smiley here) And yes, I actually do yell DIE DIE DIE!!!!!!!! while beating the stuffing outta the little creepies. Even in public at work. They don't really die unless you do, you know.  >'Kat |
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Post by rockynv on Jun 28, 2014 9:21:45 GMT -5
This is what the mild reaction was like shortly after I was bitten in November by a South American Spider that was imported here to Florida. Yes that is almost a 1/2" spread on the fangs and the right puncture still has not healed up 100% after 7 months:  Another good reason to wear all the gear all the time along with a fullface helmet as you would not want one or those falling from a tree and getting you anywhere but especially not in the face while your riding. |
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