Does it Bite (or sting or be horrid to me anyway?

[nightshade]

The number of queries I get about an insect or animals ability to inflict pain or just generally ruin a persons day.It a clear indication of the state of the general publics lack of knowledge
or interest in the wildlife around them, if they cannot plug it in and it entertain them they do not want to know!!
So if the esteemed membership would like to add their comments here I go: All these comments are on the provisor that you do not set out to confront,corner,step on,or go out of your way to annoy them yourself !

BATS, are harmless in this country,they have excellent radar and do not get tangled in your hair (unlike politicians) they have good(enough) eyesight they are not blind, most pictures show them with their mouths open and teeth showing this is only because they emit distress calls through the mouth in nearly all the species.They only eat insects!
GRASSNAKES, do not bite or sting! they are timid and would rather be left alone
Adders,can bite but just prefer to be left alone, most bitten are dogs running off the leash in known Adder locations as the confrontation can be sudden and the bite purely as a reflex
GRASSHOPPERS do not bite or sting but have strong jaws
CRICKETS do not bite or sting but do have powerful jaws
Hedgehogs are harmless the prickles are defensive
RATS can bite and will leap towards your face if cornered in an attempt to escape
MICE can bite in self defense
GREY SQUIRRELS can bite and have chisel teeth, strong hands with sharp claws
Red Squirrels as above(sorry folks)
COCKCHAFERS do not bite or sting, impact comes tight, it is a big beetle

well those are some of the ones I am most often asked about any more? try and use capitals for the creature it will be easier to scan any lists that may result

[henrya]

BATS The other reason that bat pictures show bats with their mouths open is that they are echolocating, as British bats, except Long-eareds and Horseshoe bats, echolocate through their mouths.

DRAGONFLIES Don't sting, but have strong jaws and give a painful nip, should you be handling one (not a good idea as they are delicate).

BUSH CRICKETS. Can give a sharp nip if carelessly handled.

henrya

[Imaginos]

BUMBLEBEES. Can bite and sting, but rarely do even when handled. Like wasps, but unlike honeybees they do not lose their stings once they have stung. The queens have powerful jaws and are more likely to bite than sting.

LADYBIRDS. Can and do bite, although they are generally harmless.

[pet]

SPIDERS, spiders native to the uk are in no way harmfull to us, ( unless you have a phobia and one falls on your head) they can nip, but 99 times in 100 you would'nt even notice, to a spider we are bigger than a giant and they really are far more afraid of us and would rather never see a big clumsy human

[nightshade]

SPIDERS there are some about in limited numbers(see previous posts)that can give a nasty bite
SCORPIONS there are some about in limited numbers a sting is possible

[pet]

oops i stand corected, thanks nightshade, ignore my duff info, any chance of a bit of name dropping on the spiders that give a nasty bite?

[nightshade]

Hi pet,sorry in essence you are correct, it is just that I remembered there are some recent arrivals like Segestria floren that are not so pleasant,luckily they are localised
There is a post about it on this site

[pet]

Ah i see, is there any truth in this or is it an old wives tale or just a load of tosh... i once heard somone say that CRANEFLYS have the most toxic venom in the country but its not affective on humans. That must be untrue, not sure they even live long enough to eat.. any one..any clues???

[nightshade]

CRANEFLY no bite no sting feed on decaying organic matter one of the most annoying house guests with their tireless ricocheting around the room(their kids are ugly as well!)

[Alan Hyde]

Slowworm Often confused with a snake but infact a harmless legless lizard. The gardeners friend as it feeds mainly on slugs.

The Slowworm is a peacefull creature that is often found in compost heaps (Along with Grass Snakes) or under sheets of tin.
May rarely give you a completely painless nip if restrained and has the ability to drop its tail in defence.

Smooth Snake Our rarest snake and not often seen. Lives on Heathland and is completely harmless. Smooths snakes are very secretive and herpetologists often lay out tins as a means of locating them.
If restrained may give a harmless painless bite , often holds on and chews.

[Alan]

Don't Ladybirds secrete a irritating substance from their knees? Probably to detere birds etc.

I remember as a child, a lot of kids in the neighbourhood got sore eyes and rashes from Garden Tiger Moth caterpillars - and other hairy ones, that we used to collect in jars. It's the hairs which are like fibreglass which irritate the eyes and skin of some people.

[nightshade]

TOADS do not bite but have toxic secretions in their skin,also wee on you,to ward off attacks by predators
FROGS do not bite or have any chemical defence
NEWTS do not bite
BEES the Honey bee stings and leaves its sting behind, The BUMBLEBEE can sting repeatedly
WASP stings repeatedly
HORNET stings repeatedly and it is very unpleasant (the sting that is)

[nightshade]

EARWIGS pincers aft of the head used in defence nip can be felt but not painfull,female pincers straight,male pincers curved

[Imaginos]

Originally Posted by nightshade

HORNET stings repeatedly and it is very unpleasant (the sting that is)

HORNETS do not land to sting but get you in divebombing raids which is why disturbing a hornets nest is a VERY BAD IDEA as you then get hundreds of them coming at you from all quarters. Saying that, if left undisturbed hornets are very approachable, the bee group here tell a story about one of the old guys finding a small nest & putting it in a string bag which they hung on the balcony of the bee house and they were able to watch the hornets to and fro over their heads during tea & lunchbreaks all summer as the colony grew.

[RobF]

TICKS can bite you and give you Lyme's disease and if not treated you'll end up paralysed or dead.

[Jonny]

[quote=Imaginos]BUMBLEBEES. Can bite and sting, but rarely do even when handled. Like wasps, but unlike honeybees they do not lose their stings once they have stung. The queens have powerful jaws and are more likely to bite than sting.
QUOTE]

It is only the females that can sting, the males have no stinging parts..................Jon

[Imaginos]

[quote=Jonny]

Originally Posted by Imaginos

BUMBLEBEES. Can bite and sting, but rarely do even when handled. Like wasps, but unlike honeybees they do not lose their stings once they have stung. The queens have powerful jaws and are more likely to bite than sting.
QUOTE]

It is only the females that can sting, the males have no stinging parts..................Jon

Correct, the male genitals replace the sting. Male bumblebees are distinguished by the yellow hair on their faces & many of them have different patterns to the females of their species.

[Fritillary]

"TICKS can bite you and give you Lyme's disease and if not treated you'll end up paralysed or dead."
Well, I would like to explain more about ticks
They can bite, yes it is true, and they need to do it because they feed of the blood.
They can give the Lymes disease, about that, I would like to aclare that NOT ALL TICKS have the bacterie that produces this disease.
So dont panick if you have been bitten by a tick. The most probably it is that nothing happen. If after 3 days the itch doesnt stop. You should go to see a doctor

And yet if you have the disease, most of people are fine after few weeks.

About the commentary of nigthshade
"It a clear indication of the state of the general publics lack of knowledge or interest in the wildlife around them, if they cannot plug it in and it entertain them they do not want to know!!"

I think that part of the problem is generated from the news. If you see all information on TV, newspapers, etc etc about "the awful animals are", really it looks like a terror film.

Sometimes I read the "metro" (the free newspaper) on my way in the london underground and they show with exagerations what animals can do over the humans. It is sure that if somebody doesnt know anything about nature and read that, it becomes traumatised....

Flora.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme...e_symptoms.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme..._treatment.htm[/font]

[RobF]

Admittedly I may have exagerrated the threat from ticks, but they are a problem. Although most adult and nymphal ticks carry at least some sort of nasty, be it Louping ill, red water fever, tick borne fever, or Lyme's disease.

I've been bitten twice (to my knowledge), but both times they were larva, and therefore 'clean' as there is no ovarian transmission of most of the nasties.

But, my dog got bitten by an adult tick and she developed a high fever, was laid low for a couple of weeks and had a grapefruit size swelling around the bite.

Rob

[nightshade]

One to watch out for is the Blandford-Fly (simulium posticatum) It Bites! and for a small black fly 3-4mm the bite is both painfull and distressing

[Fritillary]

Hello there!!
More about the ticks (Rob please dont think I am a ticks lover ). Just a suggestion to get rid of a tick that is on an animal (dog, human, cow, etc).

As a way of surviving, the ticks put their head under the animal skin, so it is too difficult just pull it out without leaving the head inside. if you put a light on its body (a match or cigarrete) , the tick is going to take the head out and you can destroy it very easy.

Just pulling the body and leaving the head under the skin, it may produce infections.

Fritillary

[eeyore]

Mossie rep nocks them off as well, just don't get it on your camera or anything else made of plastic.

[carlj]

SHIELD BUGS don't bite, or sting. Do however live up to their alternative name of Stink Bugs.

[henrya]

Quote
SHIELD BUGS don't bite, or sting.
Endquote

That's still under debate! There are quite a few reports that some do cause some sort of irritation, but I've not found an entomologist who will give the idea serious consideration!

henrya

[pheonix]

HORSE FLIES - They bite, and it hurts!

Im not sure about craneflies but i thought it was harvestmen that are the most venomous thing in the uk but their fangs can't penetrate our skin??