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Worst insect experience

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3dgreek

Post subject: Worst insect experience

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 10:00 pm

Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009 3:10 pm
Posts: 123
Location: Newcastle,UK

Not dedicated to SANParks but what is your worst experience with an invertebrate?

Mine was getting chased across a sand golf course in Dubai by a Camel Spider...they chase your shadow but didn't realise it at the time and the things look like aliens!

Please share

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Meandering Mouse

Post subject: Re: Worst insect experience

Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2009 7:14 am

Legendary Virtual Ranger

Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2005 8:47 pm
Posts: 10425
Location: meandering between senility and menopause
FAC Member (2011)

that's pretty much like the Roman Spider. :lol:

I have two that come to mind.
One was having a small insect fly into my ear. It set off a panic in me that was unbelievable. You have no idea how loud and scary an insect is when it has managed to reach your ear drum.

The other was when a creeply crawly managed to crawl up my jeans. It expertly started to make its way up and up and up my trouser leg, right next to my skin. :big_eyes:

I was on a Kruger walk and my instinct was to rip my jeans off there and then and get rid of the offending creature. Again, my panic just got bigger and bigger and bigger. My imagination also played havoc on what might be making it's way to territories unmentionable :big_eyes:

Eventually, I could bear it no longer and I stopped the walk :big_eyes:

the ranger kept guard while I rushed into the nearest bush.

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hobbit

Post subject: Re: Worst insect experience

Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 1:09 am

Junior Virtual Ranger

Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 2:54 pm
Posts: 233
Location: Wrong Continent

Standing by the stove in our Marloth Park house when a whip scorpion about 8cm across ran full speed under the kitchen door and across my bare feet :shock:

I'd never seen one before. They are so fast and so ugly (there is now a rubber strip on the bottom of the door to stop uninvited guests :wink:

)

I do find the invertebrates interesting, but a bit of warning is always appreciated

Allan

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Senyetse

Post subject: Re: Worst insect experience

Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 8:55 am

Virtual Ranger

Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2006 11:32 am
Posts: 1017
Location: Krugersdorp

Once I drove through a huge golden orb web spider that was spanned across the road and the (very large) orb web spider fell in through my vehicle's open window and onto my bare leg (I was wearing shorts). It then ran up my inner thigh towards you know where. I just looked down at this scene in total horror and was completely frozen (and I was still driving, probably weaving across the road :lol:

). Luckily another guy was driving with me and flicked it off my leg! Close one that was :pray:

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bert

Post subject: Re: Worst insect experience

Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 10:25 am

Distinguished Virtual Ranger

Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2005 9:02 pm
Posts: 17748
Location: mind in SA, body in The Netherlands

Senyetse, i would still be frozen :shock:

From my trip 2 yrs agro

Quote:

Picture this...
Enjoying the last night in Kruger, on the sofa on the porch of bungalow nr. 18, only the lowveld and the river in front of you with the southern cross above. The hippos grunting below you and the resident bat taking another swooping dive above you in search for insects attracted by the light.

SO and son went to bed so it was only me in the silent night going to say my goodbyes. As i grew very fond of Klipdrift and coke it was time to for my last triple. Opened the fridge and got a big scare. No more coke No problem, as a real musketeer i can take care of a pure Klipdrift.

Went over to the kitchen, eyed the few drops. Should be one nice stiff drink. Reached out for the bottle and got the fright of my life (I thought) A gecko sprinted from behind the bottle accross the wall. Nearly dropped the goodies, daft animal

Again reached out for the last golden drops, getting very desperate and then got the biggest fright ever in Kruger, eyeing my worst enemy. A SPIDER, at least 5cm, with dark long legs raced across the kitchen area, coming to a halt next to the fridge.

I have been passing elephants with 3 meters, had white rhino and buffalo within
Touching distances but this was my worst nightmare. The only safe place left for me
was the dining table. With lighting speed I took up my position on the table, my feet
safely from the ground, parked firmly on a chair, well away from the floor. We were
eyeing each other. Boy its was dark and huge. I had two problems….

No drink (still in the bottle out of my reach) and only socks on me feet. These monsters
can bite through socks or do a jump straight for my throught, having me crawling on the
ground and before I could call for help being paralyzed and never see the sun coming up again. What to do. Overcome my fear, go for the precious golden drops or try to tip-toe across the verandah, close every door and latch and go to bed.

I choose for the latter and it took me at least a hour to find the piece of mind to sink into
a bliss full sleep.

The next morning SO woke me: Bert, there is a huge spider in the verandah!
Boy, I was very happy when I left bungalow no. 18

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Dakka

Post subject: Re: Worst insect experience

Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 1:35 pm

Joined: Tue Jan 20, 2009 2:54 pm
Posts: 79
Location: next door

If a tick is an insect, thens it's my wife getting tick bite fever last week while we were in Punda.

I spend the four days driving to the pool and back to get her fever down, went for a drive twice while she lay in the caravan, mised meeting Su-mari, but I still love her to bits and enjoyed the outing.

She got bitten before we left home, not in Kruger, from the gate I drove directly to the Dr who diagnosed and gave her medication. Still not 100% but much better.

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JaneBecker

Post subject: Re: Worst insect experience

Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 5:10 pm

Junior Virtual Ranger

Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:30 am
Posts: 152
Location: Blue Hills, Midrand

Also had a beetle crawl down my ear. Was asleep and woke up with the thunderous noise. Actually managed to grab the back end but it just slipped through finger and thumb. It was a South African (as we call them) Christmas beetle, hard carapus and claw like thingies up it's legs. So only one way down and no way to turn back. Killed it eventually with warm oil but had to have it surgically removed.

It was HORRIBLE. the noise is indescribable as it slowly makes it way down the ear canal.

Yuck!

jane

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3dgreek

Post subject: Re: Worst insect experience

Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 5:34 pm

Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009 3:10 pm
Posts: 123
Location: Newcastle,UK

never gonna sleep right again!!!

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Kruger, Numbi Gate, Field Guide Training- 2nd- 30th March

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JaneBecker

Post subject: Re: Worst insect experience

Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 5:46 pm

Junior Virtual Ranger

Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:30 am
Posts: 152
Location: Blue Hills, Midrand

Ha Ha 3D - phsycholugist as well?

No. These things are rampant here from Nov to end Jan. Happened in 1966 and still get the sweats.

J

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CuriousCanadian

Post subject: Re: Worst insect experience

Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 1:50 pm

Distinguished Virtual Ranger

Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2007 1:12 pm
Posts: 5204
Location: New Brunswick, Canada

That's horrible!!!!

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Dotty

Post subject: Re: Worst insect experience

Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 2:38 pm

Moderator

Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2006 9:09 pm
Posts: 20365
Location: another national park.. in England
FAC Member (2011)

oooooh!! big shudder :big_eyes:

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Xmantis

Post subject: Re: Worst insect experience

Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 2:51 pm

Joined: Fri Jun 27, 2008 3:08 pm
Posts: 151
Location: Gauteng, South Africa

I'm with 3dgeek on this one, never gonna sleep again!

My experience - got out of the shower, towel around my head. Just ahead of me... my worst enemy "PARKTOWN PRAWN". Enemy or not, I decide to gently cover it with the towel on my head and throw it over the wall. So now the towel is hanging halfway over the wall at eye level here comes the parky up back over the wall staring me in the eye, in a split second jumps onto my head. Wet extremely long thick hair, I was flayling around like a mad women trying to get it out. About 1min into this my brother stopped me to tell me that it had jumped off ages ago, but he thought it amusing to watch :redface:

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hobbit

Post subject: Re: Worst insect experience

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 11:35 pm

Junior Virtual Ranger

Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 2:54 pm
Posts: 233
Location: Wrong Continent

Ummmm - what's a Parktown Prawn

Allan

4 Days to go :dance:

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Xmantis

Post subject: Re: Worst insect experience

Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 8:58 am

Joined: Fri Jun 27, 2008 3:08 pm
Posts: 151
Location: Gauteng, South Africa

Hi Hobbit,

Here we go..

Parktown prawn is the familiar term South Africans use for Libanasidus vittatus, a monotypic king cricket species found in South Africa, belonging to the Anostostomatidae family. It is not considered a true cricket. Adults are usually around 4 to 5 centimetres in length, with an antennae of 2 cm. Parktown is an affluent suburb in Johannesburg, where these crickets are commonly found, hence the name.

You can find a pic here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parktown_prawn

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The least movement is of importance to all nature. The entire ocean is affected by a pebble.

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annapangolin

Post subject: Re: Worst insect experience

Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 8:36 am

Virtual Ranger

Joined: Fri Nov 07, 2008 6:46 pm
Posts: 791

Jane! Your story is terrifying!

My worst insect experience also involves the Parktown Prawn. December 2007 and I had just moved to SA from England. I was sleepng in an outside room when I felt something brush across my face. I'm completely blind and my glasses were out of reach. All I could see were legs and I thought there was a giant spider on my face and so I started screaming. When a friend came to rescue me, I finally got my glasses on and could see the prawn. My goodness. I had no idea insects like that even existed. Everytime I go to Joburg now, I seem to meet new Parktown Prawns.

Coming a close second is the first time I ever lifted my ground sheet in Twee Rivieren. KTP insects are really in a class of their own...

I've also had a small bug make its way to my eardrum. That's a sound I never want to hear again.

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