poison oak and mosquitoes

[Asmbandits]

Poison oak and mosquitoes go hand in hand with prospecting and I often wonder how the old times dealt with this as im sure they had to and without chemicals and ointments we have today. While on the claim last week I could only stay for about two hours as the mosquitos we thicker than ive ever witnessed in my lifetime, I didn't have on any bug spray and the next day I was covered in bites so bad it looked like I had chicken poxes! Ill be sure to bring the bug spray next time, also was going to look into one of them pager like clip on things that's supposta keep them away..

I got poison oak really bad one year, it was early January and I was trail blazing through an area that looked like just sticks but it was poison oak without any leaves and I ended up having to go to the hospital and getting all kinds of shots to help my body fight it off, one of my arms developed an infection it was so bad..

My dad and I who I prospect with quit a bit ponder how the old times dealt with this, especially the PO. He seems to think that the more you come in contact with it you develop an immunity to it but in not sure if I believe this or if its an old wise tale.

Anyone have any ideas on this or info passed down on how it was dealt with back in the days, Seems like some of the best ground is usually covered in PO..

 

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[Hefty1]

" He seems to think that the more you come in contact with it you develop an immunity to it but in not sure if I believe this or if its an old wise tale."

That is an old wise tale.....I get it bad every year...and worse if I have a wet suit on and pulling roots underwater...Head to toe I get.
Walk back and forth to camp in a towel and flipflops.

 

[Duckwalk]

Growing up in the sticks in georgia. we used Citronella plants. they smell nice and lemony. My dad used to smoke outside on the porch and every time he walked out, he would pick a small leaf and rub it between his fingers. Thats a sweet lemon smell you just dont forget no matter your age. i have also heard they hate garlic and lavender. If you take garlic tablets for health reasons, it will also help keep mosquitoes off of ya. As for the Poison oak and ivy, we used to take large rolls of crawlspace plastic (the thick stuff) and cover an area of ground with it to kill it off. If you feel like it, i have also heard that mixing 2 tbs of dawn dish soap, 3.5 cups of vinegar with equal parts water, and a 1/2 cup of salt mixed together in a pump sprayer works wells too. the soap helps the solution stick to the leaves and the salt dries it out. as for the contraction of poison ivy and oak, we just used Calamine lotion..

 

[Goldwasher]

You can develop an immunity...and you can also go into anaphylactic shock from it....just like bee stings. Depends on the person. I've had to take my daughter for shots.
You can go to the compound pharmacy in Placerville and get a tincture and go on a regime that will build up a system. Also supposedly drink goats milk from goats that eat it and venison from local deer. I know someone that did the tincture years ago...and will EAT poison oak in front of people to creep them out.

It seems that gets that grew up around here don't get it or get the mildest cases. In some miners diaries I've seen it referred to as "Indian Oak"...If you can build up an immunity I would imagine most of the natives would have been pretty immune.

I seem to get it less severe nowadays...I dug in the roots once and it was BAD!!!!! Now I seem to get only the occasional spot it will bump up itch and go away. I am still careful if I nail a branch or something I rub dusty dirt on it ASAP and wash with creek water. When I get home I take off my boots and wash my hands with hot soapy water right away....pants shirt go in the wife designated spot in the laundry room to be washed separately. No cross contamination thus far.
My son is twelve he goes to the claim with us sometimes walks through it...goes outside with his sister who has tuned into pumpkin head twice now....and he has never really had a rash.
Once you absorb and react you can't spread it with the ooze....plants make the oil not your body....The Dr. told my daughter this last visit I was surprised...I politely DIDN"T correct her...she is a Dr. and nice I'll let her have that one...

Mosquitos....that's a comfort level thing mostly. Especially when your in a spot you described. I spent five seasons in Alaska from April to late September....seen clouds of them so thick thay made shadows on the ground.... Head-nets ...Deet...Deet on carboard hanging from your pack....Citronella oil...OFF of all kinds...when they get that thick its layers and lack of skin.
Ww were were fishing for salmon wearing a head-net felt pretty secure....my back was destroyed nailed through my flannel shirt. Lesson learned. I wear multi layers...its nice up there because its cooler the chance to wear a strong top layer like a windbreaker or rain jacket is like armor.

Out here on the divide its more jungle conditions ..none out in the hot sun but, get in the bottomlands...where there is no sun but, muggy...and standing water...and buzz buzz...they re everywhere. I still just spray my pack with off and try to minimize skin exposure or access.... I havn't hit a flock so big I needed a net I hve been checking out a new area where they were getting kinda bad.

 

[Gonehunting]

Like Goldwater said. Most of the pharmacy's here have a 3 week drink that you drink one dose every week.. it worked for me for several months.. if not.. just good ole steroids that treat the rash/oil allergy(symptom). I am highly allergic to it and have had to go to the emergency room when I got it in my lungs by breathing smoke from the brush.. eyes swelled shut and every thing was red and itchy.. for mosquitos citronella and or garlic pills..

 

[Aufisher]

Check yourself for ticks often!

 

[Asmbandits]

The funny thing is when I was younger I never got it and was exposed to it a lot in the scouts and on our property, dirtbike riding/trial blazing etc.. I believed back then that I must have some immunity to it as there were a few times I knew of that I had been exposed to it but nothing happened. I think what really did me in the time I got it bad was that I scratched myself on the stocks while pushing through it so it got not only on my skin but into the scratches and blood and I think it helped spread it throughout my arm. I could be wrong, im really not even positive that's where I got it as on the same trip I was detecting a lot and found this stagnate pool of water that had tons of leaves in it almost like a soup of sorts, I reached in with the arm that broke out and its maybe possible that there was a film of poison oak oil on top and that's where I got it. What supports this is there the PO stopped was a perfect line all the way around my arm that looked like I dunked my arm in boiling water or something, if that makes sense..

 

[CApicker]

Isn't it bad enough already with having to find the time, fill up the gas tank, make a long drive, sometimes pay to park, hike down steep trails, tear up your hands, strain your back, watch out for snakes and cats etc etc... only to find POISON OAK & MOSQUITOES are surrounding your honey hole?

I wonder why nobody wants to go with me

Anyway good post Asmbandits. You remind me that we Prospectors are a rare breed indeed.

 

[aa battery]

ok i drink beer they stay away or die. poison oak small rash. I have been told American Natives feed small amounts to children to ward of bad reactions. This is before da whiteman came

 

[aa battery]

oh and yes do not, i say do not urinate on poison oak cause the back splash will get you. I know

 

[Asmbandits]

Yeah I've been fortunate enough to not get any po on my private parts but know people that have and it's not something I ever want to experience!

 

[Hefty1]

Yeah I've been fortunate enough to not get any po on my private parts but know people that have and it's not something I ever want to experience!

NO YOU DO NOT WANT IT THERE!!! Even a pound of gold will not make that feel better.

 

[Jimmydolittle]

This could be an answer to the mosquito's, poison oak not so much: Mosquito Trap 2 Liter - Alot.com

 

[fowledup]

PO on the privates. Reminds me of a fire I was on years ago. I was on night shift supplying water to a convict handcrew doing mop up. They take bathroom breaks as a group, well come morning there in the middle of a huge patch of poison oak was a whole bunch of white "poo flowers". Took out the whole crew for the remainder.

 

[Hefty1]

This could be an answer to the mosquito's, poison oak not so much: Mosquito Trap 2 Liter - Alot.com

HOW:
1. Cut the plastic bottle in half.
2. Mix brown sugar with hot water. Let cool. When cold, pour in the bottom half of the bottle.
3. Add the yeast. No need to mix. It creates carbon dioxide, which attracts mosquitoes.
4. Place the funnel part, upside down, into the other half of the bottle, taping them together if desired.
5. Wrap the bottle with something black, leaving the top uncovered, and place it outside in an area away from your normal gathering area. (Mosquitoes are also drawn to the color black.)

Yea right....I am white!

 

[beekbuster]

i use preventitive measures. one antidote for both problems. its called portuguese. (azores) the poison oak doesnt show up for 3 days and it is only a mild rash if u get it at all, and mosquitoes want nothing to do with you. potuguese works even better for mosquitoesif there is someone else with you(the attractant). aside from the kidding, eating garlic and onions will reduce mosquito bites. but this is a lifestyle thing, not eat it the night before. if you dont get poison oak real bad, thats great, but actually you can build a histemine to it, so it can get worse with repeated exposure. google it.

 

[beekbuster]

The funny thing is when I was younger I never got it and was exposed to it a lot in the scouts and on our property, dirtbike riding/trial blazing etc.. I believed back then that I must have some immunity to it as there were a few times I knew of that I had been exposed to it but nothing happened. I think what really did me in the time I got it bad was that I scratched myself on the stocks while pushing through it so it got not only on my skin but into the scratches and blood and I think it helped spread it throughout my arm. I could be wrong, im really not even positive that's where I got it as on the same trip I was detecting a lot and found this stagnate pool of water that had tons of leaves in it almost like a soup of sorts, I reached in with the arm that broke out and its maybe possible that there was a film of poison oak oil on top and that's where I got it. What supports this is there the PO stopped was a perfect line all the way around my arm that looked like I dunked my arm in boiling water or something, if that makes sense..

i have the same experience. ive thrashed through it many times as a kid hunting. one time i was riding in a friends vehicle, he went to grab his bike riding gear "oh dont touch that its covered in poison oak" and he scratched me pretty good on my hand with his finger nail, three days later i had a rash in the webs of my hands, i didnt know what it was, hot water felt good but made it spread. i didnt realize what it was until the next time i bush whacked through it(months later) and got it. sometimes i dont get it, sometimes i do. its never bad. i could wallow in it in my scibbies and id be miserable for a week but wouldnt have to go to the hospital. for those of you who get it real bad, i feel for you. just ask yourself... was it worth it?

 

[okbasspro]

I hate the stuff it affects me bad got my 3rd case this year so far.

 

[Tnmountains]

If you go into the woods here you are walking in poison ivy not much poison oak. The poison sumac got me bad one time. Mosquitos are horrible this year.

 

[Asmbandits]

I hate the stuff it affects me bad got my 3rd case this year so far. View attachment 1174305

That is what my whole arm looked like but worse, Since it was infected it swole up and was twice the size! Makes me wonder, I read a book about the area in which my claim is located and found that there is mention of a few lepers living on the creek in the area, maybe they were just prospectors who got PO really bad all over their bodies lol..

If you go into the woods here you are walking in poison ivy not much poison oak. The poison sumac got me bad one time. Mosquitos are horrible this year.

Id probably get it bad if I were out there, Ive seen drawings of sumac and lvy in some old survival guides I have but not knowing what it looks like in person id probably walk right through the stuff not even knowing.. Ill make sure to give google images a look if im ever planning on heading out that way to fiddle around in the sticks!