Thrips fought quite vigorously when seen as pests on plants, but once they are flying and are numerous, there is nothing to do outdoors. The thrips which make it inside, die very quickly – the climate inside is too dry for them. If you are not willing to wait for them to die naturally, they […]
Ectoparasites
Ectoparasites in humans, dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs. Ectoparasites in Humans The human louse, Pediculus humanus. P.19. The louse sucks blood through contact. There are two species of human lice: the head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis, which lives in the scalp hair and the body louse, Phcorporis, which lives on the body and clothes. […]
Control
The fact that the adult and egg-laying harvest mites live well hidden in the topsoil makes them practically impossible to eradicate with conventional insecticides. If you want to spray your garden with pesticides, this should be done at the time the larvae begin to appear, or later. Prevention of bites. Tight shoes and clothes are […]
Prevention and control
The larvae, which are scattered in the soil, cannot be eradicated. Insecticides cannot effectively control the adult flies, flying around, either. Adult horse flies can be trapped in traps, which consist of a rather large, dark object, which can be seen and is heated by the sun. Carbon dioxide (from dry ice) may increase the […]
How do you get bed bugs?
It may seem inexplicable, when you suddenly discover that there are bed bugs in the home. Maybe it has been some time since they were introduced. The main reasons can be summarized as follows: The house has been visited by a person who brought them in his or her luggage. You have stayed somewhere, a […]
Possibilities of confusion
Animals that do not exist can also occur as hallucinations (sensory disturbances) in certain diseases and not least in relation to drug poisoning (especially narcotics) and alcohol poisoning. Fear of actual animals may appear in different ways (hypochondria, phobia and hysteria), which may contain parts of the symptom complex of the person with delusional parasitosis
What to do
If you are consulted by a person with delusional parasitosis you should take the time to talk to them for two reasons. Firstly, it is possible to have assessed the situation incorrectly at first glance and then during the conversation information can emerge, suggesting that real animals might be involved. If there is any doubt […]
Suspected delusional parasitosis
The evidence is obscure. Small packages and letters are brought in, allegedly containing animals, but which on closer inspection turn out to be crumbs, wool scraps, skin flakes, scabs, boogers etc. In addition, are suspicious out garments and furniture, which do not contain the alleged animals either. Bare skin surfaces are displayed, especially the forearms, […]
Animals that do not exist
Out of around 15,000 annual inquiries to the Danish Pest Infestation Laboratory, about fifty were about animals that do not exist. Among these, in particular delusional parasitosis is the one to dominate. People with this disease are convinced that they are haunted by troublesome animals (which other people cannot see or make probable). Doctors call […]
The european adder
The common European adder, or European viper, Vipera berus, is the only venomous snake in Denmark. It has a zigzag stripe down the back. The stripe may be missing from the rarer, plain black or red varieties. Grass snakes, which are non-toxic, have two yellow neck spots. These spots are always missing in vipers. The […]
Greater weevers
Greater weevers, Trachinus draco, can get up to 40 cm long and lives mainly in the North Sea and the Kattegat. A smaller species, the lesser weevers, Trachinus Vipera, only appears in the southern part of the North Sea in Denmark. Weevers are the only poisonous fish in Denmark. There are venom spines on the […]
Tarantulas
The large, hairy tarantulas (Mygalomorphae) are sometimes introduced with goods from the tropics. Most are harmless, but still, do not cuddle them. Some of the species have aggressive hairs that can cause eczema in people who touch them. If during unloading or unpacking of goods from the tropics you encounter alarming animals you do not […]
Spiders
Spiders (Araneae) live by catching and sucking other animals dry. For stabbing and killing their prey, they have a set of chelicerae (jaws).The edge of the jaws is a curved, hollow hook, through which venom from the venom gland can be squeezed into the prey. Spiders’ venomous fangs are almost never used as defense weapons. […]
Scorpions
Scorpions (Scorpiones) feed on insects and spiders which they catch with their palps and – sometimes – kill with their venomous stinger, which otherwise is primarily a defensive weapon. There are no Danish species. (Pseudoscorpions are harmless Danish animals that do not have anything to do with the real scorpions). Scorpions belong in the tropics […]
Centipedes
Centipedes (Chilopoda) are predators. They hide during the day in the soil, under rocks and similar dark, damp places. At night they go hunting for small animals, which they kill with the powerful venom claws on their front segment. The venom is very effective against the centipedes’ natural prey (insects, etc.), but none of the […]
Leeches
Leeches, Hirudinea, are a kind of segmented worms. There are several species in Denmark. In the hind part there is a suction cup and the leeches we come into contact with during bathing / dabbling in fresh water can suck on to your skin. This normally does not cause any problems unless of course it […]
Cercariae
People who bathe in fresh water, inhabited by water snails can get intense itching, blisters, red bumps and such from cercariae. These are tadpole-like small animals – a kind of flukes or flatworms – which are less than 1 mm in length. Part of their life cycle takes place in certain freshwater snails. This stage, […]
Stinging jellyfish
The red jellyfish, Cyanea capillata is almost brown-yellow. Its disk can be as big as a plate and can carry up to five meters long stinging tentacles behind it. On the stinging tentacles are cnidoblasts, which at touch uncoil and release corrosives. They are used to paralyze their prey: small crustaceans, fry, etc., but can […]
Other animals
Under this heading we have chosen to discuss the animals which are neither insects nor mites, but which in different ways may cause skin symptoms in humans.
Storage mites
Cheese, prunes, and farm supplies such as hay, straw, corn, rapeseed, flour and dry food for pets may contain many mites. The mites are only present when the goods are damp. The storage mites only occur only in products where microorganisms – in the form of bacteria and fungi – are already present in huge […]
House dust mites
At the beginning of the last century it was discovered that some people have allergic reactions to house dust without being able to find the cause among the then known allergens. House dust allergy was initially considered to be a response to the infected peoples’ own dead skin cells. In 1964, the Dutch physician Reindert […]
Life cycle
In Denmark, there is one generation of harvest mites a year. The mites overwinter in the nymphal stage and evolve into adults in the early summer. The adult mites lay eggs in the ground. The larvae hatch in late July – early August. The active larvae are six-legged. They are 0.2-0.3 mm long, but because […]
Occurrence
Globally, the harvest mites are found in a narrow belt stretching from England in the west to China in the east. Its presence in Denmark is part of the species’ northernmost spreading. In low heights Lawns (especially in the shade), hedgerows, cultivated fields, as well as gardens are equally good places for the harvest mites. […]
The harvest mite
The harvest mite, Neotrombicula autumnalis, is a species of mite of the family Trombiculidae. The larvae of this family live parasitically while the other developmental stages are free-living predators that attack and suck out small insects and other mites. The harvest mite larva is a parasite of warm-blooded animals: rats, mice and birds. The larval […]
Control
In residential property, mites can usually be traced back pigeon or sparrow nests in or on the building. Remove the nests and dust insect powder around the nesting sites. Remember to dust the cracks and crevices. If the treatment is not thorough there is a risk that the mites immediately migrate and spread further into […]
Biology
Red mites are nocturnal. During the day they hide in cracks and crevices of birds’ nests. With caged birds, they often spend the day hiding where the perches are attached to the cage. The eggs are laid in the hiding places and the mites hide in them while molting. A female mite lays 10 eggs […]
Bird mites
Several mite species live in and around bird nests. They seek out birds in the nests and suck their blood. Although the bird mites are small, their mouth parts are quite long. They pierce the skin using a pair of sharp claws. The long claws are usually hidden inside the body. If you want to […]
An unusual family
When a water mite – one of the 2mm big ones – is spotted in the microscope, you will see up to several mites at once. There are both male and female water mites. The fertilized female mite finds an insect larva (or, in the lack of a better host, a human), which she latches […]
Water mites
They are not very common, but can be considered as a possible cause of unexplained itching. Ball mites are actually quite small animals that are only 0.2 mm long. The fertilized females may, however, swell and become spherical with a diameter of up to 2 mm. One of the water mite species is called Pyemotes […]
Prevention
Be careful when buying a dog from a kennel. If you suspect fur mites, you should wash the dog or the supervising veterinarian may be able to confirm that the dog comes from a fur-mite free place. Flea collars or pour-on products may have a preventive effect. Grooming Because the fur mites and their eggs […]
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