If you want to know more about spiders, I actually took several entomology
classes at the University of Kansas. I know some weird information about
fleas, chiggers, spiders, pore mites, and other small insects. We used to
hunt spiders, not to kill them but to observe them, at night, our professor
would buy the first pitcher of beer after we were all done. You could buy
3.2 beer at age 18 in Kansas in 1971.
The brown recluse spider injects a cytotoxic saliva when it bites. The
saliva actually breaks down the cell wall, i.e. cytotoxic, liquefies the
cell contents and then the spider is able to "slurp" up the contents. Some
people are highly allergic, then can end up with scars the size of 50 cent
pieces when the site heals. Bites on faces and exposed body parts are a
problem. They like to feed on dust mites under furniture. I heard a
story/rumor that one of the football coaches at KU had a large scar on his
butt from a brown recluse bite.
Reference on spiders
http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioline/hyg-fact/2000/2060.html
Off topic, The chigger injects an anticoagulant when it bites, which has the
same effect, and also itches. Otherwise their proboscis, "stinger" would
clog up with clotted blood.
University of North Carolina reference to residental pests
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/house.htm
Reference of pesticides and pest control
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/pests.htm
Pore mites are the tiny bugs that live on the sebacous secretions and skin
flakes on your skin. Mostly they live in skin pores. Our professor used to
take a scraping from the skin on a student and show them what was living on
them. He theorized that people with clear skin actually had more pore mites
that kept the skin's pores unclogged. I doubt if anybody wants a skin cream
with live pore mites.
Mite reference
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/mites/mites.htm
I actually learned something in college.
Mike
mmcfadden_at_cmh.edu
Received on Wed Oct 25 2000 - 12:41:39 BST