You are hereMooney Mooney Creek - Aug 2017 don't bother. Just too rutted out, rocky without any flow. Walk only / Gallery / Scott's blind passenger
You are hereMooney Mooney Creek - Aug 2017 don't bother. Just too rutted out, rocky without any flow. Walk only / Gallery / Scott's blind passenger
hey guys i found out the hard way that pulling a leach off(1st mistake)is not the way to go. i didnt bother to treat the bite(2nd mistake)a week or so after being bitten and still being dam itchy at the bite my lymph glands suddenly swelled up and the bite took on a nasty red/purple swollen look.lymph glands in my right thigh are currently the size of an egg and i feel as though i have the flu.its prevented me from riding for the last 3 days Dammit! so dont neglect the little suckers.
Next time try a little salt
yeh i know but after my pump spare tube and bike tool i couldnt fit the saltnpeppa shakers in my pack!!
No salt?
leave it on until you get home. It wont eat that much and will probably drop off by itself
good advice for next time for sure-who needs a lymphatic infection and days away from the bike when on hols!!suxs big time
Matt,
No, no, no you don't need the Pepper shaker that's just excess weight that will slow you down.
You could also try an old bush remedy - urine, but given it was on your heal, you would definitely need to find someone willing to assist in the application.
taste better with a little mustard, hot english to be precise
That bite actually caused me a bit off grief aswell. I still have a large red mark on my ankle and is still extremely itchy. And that was a week ago. I left that leech on. He fell off after he was full and has still become itchy and red.
Guess what? You are allergic to leech spit. They inject their spit in to prevent blood clotting. Otherwise leeches are harmless.
Always, it's best to let them feed and then drop off. Your problem is an allergic reaction.
When you force them off sometimes their mouth can stay attached (looks like a little spec) and that can cause some problems. I back leech territory. Spray insect repellent on shoes, it helps, they don't like it. Some say it is a myth but I assure you, it works! The cheap Woolworths brand works as well as the expensive ones.
Here is some video of one on my bike. The ones near me have little brown stripes. There are hundreds of varies in Australia alone and they can vary quite a bit from even one valley to the next.
Next time you see one blow on it (NO Stuart!), I mean 'exhale' on it. They can detect Carbon Dioxide, you will see it go crazy! OR when your in the middle of a bracken fern single trail blow on the ground (NO Stuart!), I mean 'exhale' on it, and you may see a few start to move and show themselves.
http://youtu.be/UoCQMhGwKdo
I have this belief that I can "tell" when there is one on me. I 'think', I feel a touch light-headed or something from it using it's local anesthetic. Often I then check and find one. It's odd, I'm not sure if it's just my imagination.
I must have had 20-30 on me in 2008. Never had any adverse reactions. My wife tends to get a local reaction (itching and minor local smelling). My 15 month old son had one on him (from Koala Park), it had grey stripes, and he was fine. It had actually filled with his blood and I found it in his cot. His twin sister hasn't had one on her yet.
I went to Ourimbah last weekend and picked up a few hitchikers. Similar to Noel, thought I was on top of the attack and managed to keep them at bay, but nay.. when I got back to the car I found about 4-5 on the back of my knees where they had flicked up out of the puddles. Thankfully no adverse reaction
I normally spray my legs, shoes and socks with some form of insect repelant when I trail build and have never had one on the lower part of my body when I've done that.
About a month ago though I had one on my wrist I didn't notice. One of the nice pretty ones with the brown stripe (we have black ones as well up here). My brother thought it was a bug on my wrist when he spotted it, so I flicked it without really thinking about it. Normally I would just let them have their feed and drop off. I think this probably happens a lot without me actually noticing.
Bled a bit, but nothing excessive, but for a few days the slightest bump and my wrist would bleed.
About a week later a nice little blister formed (not itchy the bite area never was) and got pretty big, till I popped it, then it formed again. This went on for two or three weeks until I dug in and squezed the crap out of it. I suspect I had a bit of leech left in the bite as well which was why the blister kept forming. A month down and there is still a sore on my wrist and I have the annoying cold symptoms.
I think the moral to the story is, if they start to feed, let them finish unless you have salt.