Help! what kind of biting insect has invaded my home?
Rudebekia
16 years ago
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D T
2 years agoMariam Moosavy
2 years agoRelated Discussions
Insect bite? Yeah.
Comments (12)Oh can I ever empathize! Had the shingles one fall when DH was having some surgery. Just affected the right arm, and the scars are not pretty at all. At least George's doctor immediately recognized it as shingles and not a contact dermatitis like mine did. At first he put me on a steroid which actually made my blisters worse. Remind George not to rub the blisters and then touch his eyes. If he has any of the fluid from the blisters on his hand (before the medication has time to kill the virus) he can cause shingles to occur in his eyes. I had a patient back in the 90s who had occular shingles and the pain was excruciating for her. I would guess that his doctor probably put him on Acyclovir - it works well. After George gets over this, have him discuss with his doctor about getting the shingles vaccine, because just having shingles does not give a person immunity from them. Tell George I think jazmynsmom has a good idea! The best to you two....See MoreHelp! Black Spot has invaded my garden!
Comments (14)I just want to add my agreement to what Mike Rivers and Snowheather said about the Bayer-tebuconozole and the Banner Max. Both are excellent. Banner Max is much more expensive up front, though it will last much much longer. Either one is generally used on a bi-weekly basis and is best used preventively (the Bayer has a little bit of curative effect). With either of these products, used throughout the growing season you should see very little disease problem. They're well worth the effort. But for the Bayer, you can find "Bayer All-in-One" at any Wal-mart and most Home garden centers. But it tells you to drench the soil, rather than spraying. Easier, yes, but far more wasteful and expensive. You'll run out before you realize it. Plus, that formulation throws in chemical fertilizer and insecticide, which is overkill. You don't need the fertilizer if you're already fertilizing and adding organics to your soil, which we all should be doing anyway. And the insecticide is baaaaaddd on your good bug population and the environment in general. Why pour insect poison into the soil unless you actually see a specific insect problem? Better to spot treat bug problems, instead of using sustained heavy artillary. My 1000% vote goes instead to Bayer brand "Disease Control for Roses, Flowers & Shrubs." It's that same tebuconozole-based fungicide but without the excess fertilizer/bug killer. I've only ever seen this formulation at Lowe's stores, but it IS available at most Lowe's, so ask a store employee if you can't find it on your own. Oh, and I didn't see this spelled out plainly, so...Blackspot spores can spread from anywhere anytime that there is sustained dampness or wetness for at least 6 hours. Once the spores land on the plant surface, they take a few days to germinate. That's why you saw the apparent spread of the disease AFTER you sprayed. It's also why people often experience a bout of blackspot shortly after they bring home a seemingly clean new rose plant. Chances are the rose brought the spores with it. As far as organic methods, fertilizer, yes! bug control, sure!...mostly. but at least where blackspot is concerned, I don't buy into the organic paradigm, not around here, anyway, in Blackspot Hell. Even old garden roses and "Knockout" that are supposed to be highly resistent to blackspot will get some around here. Not enough to seriously threaten their health, but enough to still sap some of their energy that would otherwise go to leaf and bloom production. I tried using Greenlight brand Neem oil several years back and ended up chemical burning my roses. Seems they couldn't handle hot sun with that oil. No thanks. Organic does not automatically mean "safer." Hopefully this will be encouraging to you; Blackspot is most likely to appear in the fall with dampness and moderate temps. It's partly because the foliage is getting old and losing vitality as the growing season winds down. So it succombs more easily to infection. No big deal. It IS nearing the season when the leaves should drop anyway. So start a sensible regular preventive spray program, but also don't worry too much about long-term damage taking over. It's easily reversible. Mike...See MoreInsect bites
Comments (15)I usually have on jeans when I am outside, and try to come in after a couple of hours and take a shower. I keep a spray bottle with about 1/8 cup bleach and the rest water, spray it from toes to chest and then shower. But if I spend all day or all morning outside, it's too late. I did sulphur the yard and have a sock with sulphur dust to hit against my ankles. The problem is, I never INTEND to go into chiggar areas, in fact I never intend to start doing anything in the yard in the morning. I go out to feed the fish or drink some tea on the deck, or I pull a weed here or there, or decide to check the vegetable garden, and the next thing I know, it's 10:30 and I've been out there all morning....See MoreInsect bites: baking soda or vinegar?
Comments (35)Iris, I asked about your general location for a reason, wondering if you live in fire ant territory. Your reaction and the pimple-like pustule are symptoms of fire ant stings. Fire ant stings are painful, from the initial stabbing for several hours after. The itching can be awful. I don't react like that anymore, but vividly recall my first experiences, when my leg swelled up like crazy, the sting site became red and hot. I developed a slight fever for a day, as I recall. Shortly after that first encounter, I was told about the meat tenderizer treatment and have never been troubled since. I use it for mosquito bites, too....See MoreSammy Don
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