What is this? Lice, mites or ticks?

[Noelle]

Posted by Hervé (here)
On the scarier side:

Deadly Scabies: US Ex-Model Gets Devoured Alive by Parasitic Mites

Sputnik US
12:26 30.04.2018

© Photo : Family photo

A 93-year old woman has reportedly passed away in a nursing home after suffering from a flesh-eating parasitic infestation, which the facility’s staff failed to treat for some reason.

The family of Rebecca Zeni, a former model and TV station employee who passed away in 2015 at the age of 93, is suing the company in charge of the nursing home where the woman died after it became apparent that her death was caused by a severe case of scabies, an investigation conducted by a local TV station, 11Alive, revealed.

A forensic pathologist who reviewed Zeni’s autopsy report said that according to his estimates there were hundreds of millions of mites living inside the woman, and that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to assume that her death was a painful one, as she was basically being eaten alive over the course of several months or even years. "I would seriously consider calling this a homicide by neglect," he said.

According to the records obtained by the media outlet from the Georgia Department of Public Health, state authorities were notified of a scabies outbreak at Zeni’s nursing home in 2013 and 2015 before her demise, but did not inspect the facility in person, opting instead to send a manual on how to treat scabies.

That's crazy and frightening. What a way to leave this world.

[AutumnW]

Lady M,

In the last few days I have gotten a lot of chigger bites. Kind of ironic. They are itchy, but not overly so. And...I go them outside but I may have some in my carpets too. That is probably your problem.

[Noelle]

Posted by AutumnW (here)
Lady M,

In the last few days I have gotten a lot of chigger bites. Kind of ironic. They are itchy, but not overly so. And...I go them outside but I may have some in my carpets too. That is probably your problem.

It's probably what they are. Do you get them often? We've been in this home for five years and never, ever had anything like it. The pest control company did send the samples to the University of Florida lab. It could be weeks before we get the results.

[Bill Ryan]

I'm afraid I know absolutely NOTHING about these things.

But to cheer everyone up for a moment, here's a most inspired joke from the excellent 2003 Russell Crowe film Master and Commander:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Y-aPp7Kiiyg

[Noelle]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
I'm afraid I know absolutely NOTHING about these things.

But to cheer everyone up for a moment, here's a most inspired joke from the excellent 2003 Russell Crowe film Master and Commander:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Y-aPp7Kiiyg

I would take weevils over what we've got here. They are much easier to see and vacuum up.

[Joe from the Carolinas]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
I'm afraid I know absolutely NOTHING about these things.

But to cheer everyone up for a moment, here's a most inspired joke from the excellent 2003 Russell Crowe film Master and Commander:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Y-aPp7Kiiyg

THE LESSER OF TWO WEEVILS! I love that film.

On topic, anyone dealing with chigger bites, just smear and rub in some pure castor oil on em. No more itching.

[Noelle]

I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry, but I think it's best to go with the former. The Univ. of Florida sent me the results for the samples sent and ... they are not bugs.

They are Oxalis (woodsorrel) seeds, but they do look like mites. They fooled me and the pest control company. Even the specimen that I took from the inside of my dog's ear was a seed. I'm still not sure what the nits were, which are now just about gone.

Attached photo is of Oxalis seeds.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=cJRHCyEOh7I

[Bob]

It most certainly is better being safe having 'checked it out'.

Says something about the 'exterminator' tho.. where is their 'science' ? Just spraying away without knowing what... ugh..

Glad you are feeling safer.

[Bo Atkinson]

With all due respect, in a properly considerate way, may i say: Get a USB microscope, people! Plug one in and get good screen shots to post or share, for everyones benefit. Cheap ones work very well for this purpose.

Here we are in the throws of world upheaval, where we should be independently self- researching, as much as possible. If not easily sharing developments.

We are having an invasion of ticks here, for the last 2 or 3 years, (entirely unprecedented). I even got one while working under my car, on gravel, not grass! We are becoming able to detect them crawling on us, sooner now and will not yield to the invasion.

Still attracted to this solution, as our hens are too aggressive with the vegetable garden, where guinea-fowl are said to be serious predators of garden pests (and rarely eat vegetables?). https://thefreerangelife.com/5-reaso...n-guinea-fowl/


Ps- Thanks to everyone for your helpful thoughts on the OP...

[Noelle]

Posted by wavydome (here)
With all due respect, in a properly considerate way, may i say: Get a USB microscope, people! Plug one in and get good screen shots to post or share, for everyones benefit. Cheap ones work very well for this purpose.

Here we are in the throws of world upheaval, where we should be independently self- researching, as much as possible. If not easily sharing developments.

We are having an invasion of ticks here, for the last 2 or 3 years, (entirely unprecedented). I even got one while working under my car, on gravel, not grass! We are becoming able to detect them crawling on us, sooner now and will not yield to the invasion.

Still attracted to this solution, as our hens are too aggressive with the vegetable garden, where guinea-fowl are said to be serious predators of garden pests (and rarely eat vegetables?). https://thefreerangelife.com/5-reaso...n-guinea-fowl/

Thanks for the USB microscope suggestion. They don't cost much at all. All the best with your tick issue. With my roots in Connecticut, I've had my share of dealing with those bugs.

[Valerie Villars]

Lady M, I was just thinking about your pickle yesterday and wondering what the outcome was.

Glad you got it sorted out.