 |
[RC] poison oak and ground wasps - NancyYep, it's that time of year in Elfin Forest too. The ground wasps have invaded my main trail and my daughter Dani has a terrible case of poison oak. Last year she came down with it at the Manzanita ride and I thought she had Fifth's Disease. Even with cortisone shot, pills and cream (prescription strength) she still lost a whole week of school last year. There are two very good soaps on the market that will neutralize the oil if you wash within an hour or two of exposure. They are Tecnu and Nufil. Technu is a liquid soap and is inexpensive. Nufil is also a liquid soap with a bit of grit added to ensure all the oil comes off. I like Nufil better, but it is expensive at $30 to $40 per small tube. Both are available over the counter at local drug stores. Another remedy I have used is liquid bleach. Use cotton balls to dap it on the open areas to stop the spread and stop the inching. It works well, you smell funny, it's easy and inexpensive to obtain too! My childhood physician used this back in the '60's The wasps can be a real problem. My sister got stung over 30 times several years ago. She was lucky as we were near the creek and once she got under water the attack stopped. I have been told that you can fill the hole with diesel fuel and that will kill the wasps and not cause a fire due to some physical property I can not recall. I have never done this and do not advocate it, especially in our open space parks and land that you do not own. There is a bait that you mix with small amounts of canned cat food. Easy to apply from a distance <g>. The wasps take it back to the nest and all are gone in a short time. I have noticed the Elfin Forest wasps like to sting dark horses and tend to leave the grays and lighter one alone. Not sure if that has any truth to it, but I have seen my friend's black bay get nailed and the lighter colored horses on either side are not touched. And lastly, for poor Dani she has gotten poison oak from the dog as the oils stick to the animal fur. By the location of the current crop, it looks like it came from our 6 month old barn cats. Poor baby! Nancy Reed Lazy J Ranch Elfin Forest, CA =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|