Artemis

Bugs with Mags, Podcast Edition


Listen Later

Maggie Heumann is many things -- Artemis founder, podcast host, outdoor gear hocker, fisherwoman -- AND... entomologist. This week we're talking bugs in the field. From finding a treasure trove of bug artifacts at an estate sale to inadvertently having a sleeping bag full of fleas, there's a lot to know about our six-legged frenemies. 

1:25 - 'Bugz with Magz' webinars

3:30 - Maggie's quarantine: Knitting, bread-baking, watching bug videos. Yep.

5:25 - Maggie's Instagram... sweet entomology finds from an estate sale.

8:30 - Big snow year = big skeeter year... womp womp. But on the flip side, drier years often mean more ticks/fleas

9:30 - Mosquitos are attracted to the output of CO2 (= breathing) and lactic acid. They're remarkable at sensing people from afar

12:00 - Skin-liquifying bug enzymes

13:00 - Colors. Mosquitoes love them!

14:30 - Black flies, horseflies, deer flies

19:00 - Anytime it's above 50 degrees, it's mosquito-hatching time

20:30 - Caterpillars... A good rule of thumb: If it has really vibrant colors or spines, probably not a good one to handle.

21:30 - Ants... geography makes a big difference. Fire ants in the Southeast are worth steering clear of.

22:30 – E.O. Wilson discovered imported red fire ants as a youngster... and he went on to be a big bug guy ever since.

23:00 - With ants, wasps, bees, hornets -- the biggest concern is allergies. Keep antihistamines and antiseptics in your first-aid kit. If you're not allergic, try not to itch! It further distributes the insect's poison on your skin.

24:50 - Dip spit may, or may not, alleviate the pain of a sting. 

25:00 - Bees/wasps/hornets -- they're bugs with four wings. The two-winged bugs are the flies.

25:30 - Fleas! Fleas don't just live on your dog and cat... they love to live in your house. No wings, but those buggers can jump.

26:30 - White is a bug-neutral color for the most part... except when it comes to fleas. Don't wear white socks. Get colorful socks!

28:00 - A cautionary tale of tossing white ankle socks on a sleeping bag in flea country

31:30 - Moving on to ticks... not actually insects! As larvae they have six legs, but when they molt they become 8-legged. (Chiggers and mites: also arachnids.)

33:30 - It's worth dumping some time on YouTube to see how ticks find their hosts. Check this one out.

35:00 - The signature 'bullseye' of Lyme disease is only specific to one tick... you can still get it without experiencing that.

37:00 - Lyme disease is still concentrated in the East/Northeast. Out West though, there's Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in the way of tick-borne illness

38:00 - Scorpions... most of the time they're harmless. Painful bite, nothing more.

39:00 - Handling tick- or flea-laden game

41:00 - Send us your pictures of bugs on game! [email protected]

41:30 - Black widows, brown recluses, hobo spiders -- those are the big arachnids to know

43:00 - Chiggers don't actually burrow into you

45:00 - Deet... really bad for your outdoor gear, really great for keeping bugs away. But maybe not for everyone.

45:30 - Alternative bug sprays: IR3535 - a new insect repellent from Europe, Picariden, and essential oils (lemon, citrus, catnip oils), or Thermacell fan

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

ArtemisBy Artemis

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

68 ratings