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Hort Culture Goes Wild: Nature Danger Edition
82 Plays10 days ago
In this entertaining and informative episode of Hort Culture Podcast, Alexis and Jessica explore “Nature Danger,” discussing the poisonous plants, venomous insects, spiders, ticks, and other outdoor hazards commonly encountered during Kentucky’s warmer months. Blending humor, personal stories, and practical advice, the hosts explain the difference between poisonous and venomous organisms while covering topics like poison ivy, dangerous mushrooms, stinging caterpillars, wasps, black widows, brown recluse spiders, mosquitoes, and ticks. Along the way, they debunk internet myths, share safety tips for outdoor adventures and gardening, and remind listeners that understanding nature is the best way to stay safe while still appreciating the beneficial role many of these creatures play in the environment.
Best Practices for Mushroom Foraging in Kentucky
Don't Eat Those Wild Mushrooms
Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, and Poison Sumac: Identification, Poisoning, and Control
Kentucky Urban Spider Chart
Mosquitoes: Practical Advice for Homeowners
Common Mosquitoes in Kentucky
Questions/Comments/Feedback/Suggestions for Topics: hortculturepodcast@gmail.com
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Transcript
00:00:17
Plant People
What up,
Introduction and Humor
00:00:18
Plant People
peeps? It's the brunette horticulture gals coming back at you.
00:00:19
Jessica
Hello.
00:00:22
Plant People
You know, your favorite podcasts.
00:00:23
Jessica
all All girl show girl power again.
00:00:29
Plant People
Very true. Very true. Just what what would Brett say if he was right now? He'd call us queens. That's his thing.
00:00:34
Jessica
Yes, you'd say Queens and something witty.
00:00:34
Plant People
He likes to call people queens. Yeah, you know, we're not quite as witty as Brett, but we do have more hair, and I hope he hears this. So... Just kidding. We love you, Brett. Anyways, hey guys. How's everybody
Weather Changes and Adaptability
00:00:51
Plant People
doing? Jessica, how are you? What's up with you?
00:00:54
Jessica
I'm good. I'm good. It has been like the big rush of spring and kind of summer.
00:00:58
Plant People
Yeah.
00:01:00
Jessica
i don't know.
00:01:00
Plant People
Yeah.
00:01:01
Jessica
ah But other, what is the weather?
00:01:01
Plant People
Right? Like, what is the weather? Yeah.
00:01:04
Jessica
It's now we've gone from being like summer in the spring to now it's like chilly.
00:01:08
Plant People
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. To spring...
00:01:11
Jessica
But it's actually like, it's kind of like lovely. It's very lovely to like go out and take a walk and it's like kind of chilly still, but
00:01:20
Plant People
But it's going hot. And so we're probably, by the time you're listening to this, it's it's hot.
00:01:21
Jessica
It's going to get hot. um We're going to be melting.
00:01:24
Plant People
And you're like, what is this chili? I'm not ready. Listen, the acclimation, like, I need a period of time to be acclimated. And we aren't going to get it because we never do.
00:01:34
Plant People
We never have a slow transition. And I am not excited.
00:01:36
Jessica
i yeah My middle son
00:01:37
Plant People
i just, my body does not function.
00:01:40
Jessica
My middle son is not going to do well. He's already experienced it once. He, he, we already had a period of where it was like cool. And then it got really hot one weekend and he just like, he was like, I'm so hot.
00:01:53
Jessica
And he was like sweating and he had shorts and t-shirt on. And of course no shoes or socks.
00:01:56
Plant People
Bless it.
00:01:57
Jessica
Cause he never has shoes or socks on.
00:01:58
Plant People
Well, no, that's just more hot stuff.
00:01:59
Jessica
And, uh, and I was like, it's going to be a long summer for him because he's just like, I'm so hot.
00:02:04
Plant People
Yeah. I was thinking about that. ah Yeah, I was hot.
00:02:07
Jessica
Cause he,
00:02:09
Plant People
Yeah, you're poor.
00:02:09
Jessica
He doesn't like wear coats when it's cold because he's he just trucking right along.
00:02:10
Plant People
He's,
00:02:13
Plant People
he's a big old boy. He's a big old boy.
00:02:14
Jessica
Yeah.
00:02:15
Plant People
He's got plenty of plenty to keep him warm.
00:02:17
Jessica
Yeah.
00:02:17
Plant People
Big big Benny boy.
00:02:20
Jessica
hmm.
00:02:20
Plant People
I can't wait till he gets to high school. I can't wait for like what they, what they call him like in a positive way, like not in to make funny, fun way, but they're he's going to be like big Benny boy. Like they're going to, they're calling him big Ben or something.
00:02:30
Jessica
Yeah. Yeah. he
00:02:32
Plant People
i don't know.
00:02:33
Jessica
yeah, for him to be such like a tall, larger toddler for a three-year-old, he has started saying things like now that he's just a little kid and that he doesn't want to grow up because he just wants to stay little, which is ironic because he's like a foot taller than anyone else's age. His older brother told him the other night, looked at him dead serious and was like, yeah, I don't, he's like, i don't want to grow up either, but I have to. and then like rolled over and went to sleep.
00:03:00
Jessica
ah
00:03:02
Plant People
This ah elder child that you have, he is he is primo firstborn.
00:03:07
Jessica
He is
00:03:07
Plant People
It does not get more stereotypical than that.
00:03:09
Jessica
Right.
00:03:09
Plant People
And we can say that because we're both firstborn. So we know.
00:03:12
Jessica
are Rose Firstborns, so we know we can relate.
00:03:15
Plant People
We're like, we see it. We so we are ah we are there with you. We
Safety Programming for Kids
00:03:19
Plant People
channel that. Well, well ah it talking about your boys is perfect and segues perfectly into what we're talking about today, which is ah some so some nature danger, as you like to call it.
00:03:25
Jessica
Yeah.
00:03:29
Jessica
Nature Danger, because it kind of ties in with like coming up soon. i will be doing programming with what ages are they? They're sixth graders, I think. ah All of them in our county.
00:03:40
Jessica
And we do a safety day where they're going to be learning.
00:03:42
Plant People
That's an interesting age.
00:03:43
Jessica
and Yeah, a very interesting age. Right. But I've discovered this topic will actually keep their attention. because they get really intense about it. um But they'll be learning about all sorts of safety things like ATV safety, all of that. And I have to compare, you know, compete with those other stations by doing um dangerous plants, insects, and snakes. Oh my, or nature danger.
00:04:07
Jessica
So it's,
00:04:07
Plant People
I mean, how could you not pay attention to that?
00:04:10
Jessica
Right. So we just, you know, this kind of ties in with the time of year because we're
Poisonous vs. Venomous Plants and Safety Tips
00:04:15
Jessica
all spending a lot more time outside.
00:04:15
Plant People
Yeah.
00:04:17
Jessica
ah and We have already talked a lot before we said we need to start recording about ticks.
00:04:18
Plant People
Tell me about it. Yeah.
00:04:22
Jessica
We will talk about ticks. We will get to those. ah But something I'd like to start off with, Alexis, when I talk to kids about these topics ah is what is the difference between something being poisonous and something being venomous?
00:04:36
Plant People
Are you asking me? Because I think I know.
00:04:37
Jessica
Yeah, I'm asking you.
00:04:38
Plant People
okay So venomous is usually a bite, right?
00:04:38
Jessica
Do you know?
00:04:42
Jessica
Mm-hmm. huh
00:04:42
Plant People
It's injected and poison is on a surface. So like the poisonous frog, if you touch the frog and then put your fingers in your mouth, it's poisonous.
00:04:51
Jessica
Right.
00:04:52
Plant People
Is that close?
00:04:52
Jessica
So we talk about, yeah, poisonous, it's something that's ingested.
00:04:56
Plant People
Ingested.
00:04:56
Jessica
It's something that absorbed through your skin.
00:04:57
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:04:58
Jessica
You breathe it in.
00:04:59
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:05:00
Jessica
So we're thinking about like our plants, our fungi, they're poisonous versus, you know, venomous is something that's going to bite you or sting you. Toxins are injected. So those are snakes or insects.
00:05:11
Jessica
So the nerd in me, I have to keep it under control when people talk about, hey, watch out, that bee is poisonous. The bee is going to put the poison in you. Or the watch out, a black widow is poisonous.
00:05:22
Plant People
No.
00:05:24
Jessica
And I'll sometimes be sassy at some children and be like, are you eating one? that how it's poisonous? Only only when they're really rowdy, right, to get their attention.
00:05:33
Plant People
They've been talking the whole time. you're like You've learned nothing.
00:05:34
Jessica
whole time you've learned nothing child um yeah but i guess like starting off with plants though because you know we more of a plant show um the ones that i think about that we encounter all the time and uh is poison ivy it is everywhere
00:05:53
Plant People
I swear it's, like, even more everywhere this year. Again, I'm one of those people who probably says this every single year about everything. It's hotter than it was last year.
00:06:01
Jessica
Is it? Wait, is it?
00:06:03
Plant People
There's...
00:06:03
Jessica
Is that because we're getting old? Are we old now?
00:06:05
Plant People
i think I think that's what this is.
00:06:06
Jessica
Is that why?
00:06:07
Plant People
It's like, maybe, no, it's not that we're getting old, it's that we're getting wise. We've had enough summers under our belt to know that this is not normal, okay?
00:06:11
Jessica
okay
00:06:14
Jessica
Yes.
00:06:14
Plant People
But literally, I feel like I have poison ivy everywhere, and we walked the dogs the other day, and it's all along the roadside.
00:06:14
Jessica
Yes, that's what it is.
00:06:21
Plant People
I was like, how, what, what? It's everywhere.
00:06:24
Jessica
right. Luckily with poison ivy, we you know, a popular saying that goes along with it is three leaves, let it be. So if you're ever in doubt that you may be looking at poison
00:06:32
Plant People
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Poison Ivy Prevalence and Personal Stories
00:06:35
Jessica
ivy, if you see a plant that has three leaves together, just don't touch it.
00:06:37
Plant People
Just, yeah.
00:06:38
Jessica
Just avoid walking it. Because it could be like box elder often gets confused for it.
00:06:43
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:06:44
Jessica
um It looks very similar.
00:06:44
Plant People
Yeah.
00:06:46
Jessica
ah But, you know, it's a deciduous ah woody vine. So a lot of times they're kind of creepy looking when they grow up on the sides of trees and they have all those.
00:06:51
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:06:55
Jessica
It's a very hairy looking, um the roots that come off of it.
00:06:55
Plant People
Mm-hmm. Yeah, that roots...
00:07:00
Jessica
Yeah. All parts of the plant are poisonous from the leaves, the stems. um It has a very, it has a very light color oil that's emitted from it that we get on our skins. And some people um are highly allergic to it. My, have my, one of my younger brothers, if he gets into it, he knows that he will eventually be going to get a steroid shot.
00:07:24
Jessica
Yeah.
00:07:25
Plant People
Yeah, my dad's that way.
00:07:26
Jessica
they get so bad um other people like my father-in-law who's been on the show i will tell a story about him that's quite funny when he was a child he built a fort and all of his little buddies came over and played and then suddenly his buddies weren't allowed to come back and play with him anymore and that's because he built his fort out of poison ivy um he is not allergic to it but all the other kids on the street yeah um
00:07:47
Plant People
My husband isn't either. So lucky.
00:07:50
Jessica
Other people don't have a reaction unless it gets into their cuts or if they have little small cuts.
00:07:54
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:07:55
Jessica
My husband can get in it and it doesn't bother him. But if he has any like little small cuts where he's been pulling, you know, a branch might have rubbed up against him or something, then he will have a reaction from it.
00:07:59
Plant People
Mm-hmm. The oil gets in there.
00:08:04
Jessica
um But yeah, the best.
00:08:06
Plant People
And one, let me share this because I have seen this go around, you know, your poisonous versus venomous.
00:08:08
Jessica
Yeah.
00:08:12
Plant People
Poison ivy cannot be spread from person to person, correct? Like unless you are spreading the actual oil, like I touch poison ivy, I have the oil on me, I rub that oil on somebody else.
00:08:16
Jessica
That's right.
00:08:23
Plant People
But like if it's, you know, you've washed and you just have a rash, you can't spread it because that oil is gone.
00:08:28
Jessica
Yeah, that's that's really good to mention.
00:08:29
Plant People
And I think some people get worried.
00:08:31
Jessica
Yes, that's really a dimension.
00:08:31
Plant People
Yeah, yeah.
00:08:32
Jessica
I mean, as a child yelling at my brother not to get near me, right, because I didn't want to get the poison ivy on me.
00:08:36
Plant People
ah Yeah, yeah.
00:08:38
Jessica
um But what can transfer it to you unfortunately, um are your pets. If they are dogs run through poison ivy um I've had people tell me that they've had cattle getting poisoned, like really friendly cows, and then they have like rubbed and pat their cows, um have gotten it on them.
00:08:44
Plant People
Yes. Tell me about it.
00:08:58
Jessica
Garden gloves.
00:08:58
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:08:59
Jessica
If you have pulled out a bunch of poison ivy.
00:09:00
Plant People
Oh, rip it out with
00:09:02
Jessica
Yeah. um You want to wash those afterwards if you are allergic because that oil can remain on there. Yeah. But the best tactic that does work and it's super simple is, you know, if you're close to a water source and soap is to just wash, wash, right?
00:09:18
Plant People
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:09:21
Plant People
this
00:09:21
Jessica
Get a soapy water on there, wash your arms, wash any areas you think you're exposed to it. You don't necessarily need, they sell all different kinds of like poison ivy themed soaps.
00:09:31
Plant People
Special soap. Yeah. You just
00:09:32
Jessica
Yeah.
Wild Mushroom Toxicity
00:09:33
Plant People
want to get rid of anything that gets rid of oil.
00:09:34
Plant People
So like Dawn dishwasher soap is really good on oil.
00:09:35
Jessica
Mm-hmm.
00:09:37
Plant People
But like I've used when I've been out in the like if I'm hiking around or something, I'm like, oh, crap, I just touched poison ivy. I didn't see it there. I have used, probably the best thing, but if you don't have anything else, um hand sanitizer because the alcohol will break up those oils.
00:09:53
Plant People
And so it's not perfect, but it's better than nothing.
00:09:57
Jessica
yeah and you want to avoid like sometimes though we have like specialty fancy soaps that have might have their own like oily kind of things avoid those because you just or you're going to spread it around more um just making it worse uh right right um yeah and then you know yeah go ahead
00:10:02
Plant People
Oh, yeah.
00:10:06
Plant People
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. ah We want the skin to feel tight, like you've sucked all the oil out of them.
00:10:18
Plant People
i I was going to say, I know we're talking about poison ivy, but you're probably going to bring up poison oak at some point, and I just need to tell you my, like...
00:10:24
Jessica
Yeah, well, that's what I was going to say next, so go for it. Same way with
00:10:29
Plant People
to funny faux pas. As a plant person who who knows about all of these things, I just want to tell you the story because maybe it'll make you feel better if you've ever done this. So I was out in the woods and out with... um my family and walking around and I was like, oh, look at this. i remember where we were somewhere on the edge of the woods. and I was like, look at this little baby oak that's coming up and it looked just like a little oak. There's an oak tree right above it. And I was like, oh, we should dig this one up and bring it up to whatever. So I go in and I'm like grabbing on it, like trying to look, cause you know, it's in leaves and stuff, trying to look on it. And I was like, why is this oak tree on a vine?
00:11:11
Plant People
And I was like, oh, this is poison oak. So, um you know, just letting you know that ah it's called poison.
00:11:17
Jessica
so then i went and washed my hands
00:11:19
Plant People
Yes. It's called poison oak for a reason and because it will fool the best of us. so
00:11:23
Jessica
right it does like obviously i've seen it looks like a baby oak tree like yeah um i i think like a little like more of like a white oak right it's a it has more of the rounded leaves yeah i would have thought the same thing as well um
00:11:26
Plant People
It looks like a little baby
00:11:35
Plant People
It's exactly what I thought it was. i was like, look at this little swamp white oak. Yeah.
00:11:42
Jessica
Yeah, I've totally have been like tricked by the ah poison oak. And I guess like it depends like if you, you know, you live in an area where you have a lot more of that than poison ivy.
00:11:53
Plant People
I don't see it nearly as often as poison ivy in our area.
00:11:54
Jessica
Right. I don't either. so but poison ivy, like you can see sometimes when it even flowers and have you seen it flower before?
00:11:58
Plant People
i don't know why.
00:12:02
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:12:03
Jessica
And it has like, and then they'll produce berries. So um just a way for it to get spread around more that way by, by birds and, controlling a lot of those plants are kind of hard.
00:12:15
Jessica
um One, you know, if you're allergic, that that plays a factor into it.
00:12:17
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:12:20
Jessica
um But, you know, ripping it out, making sure to cut and do a herbicide on it at a, I believe it's the fall, correct? Is that the best time?
00:12:29
Plant People
Yeah, usually, unless it's, like, a younger poison ivy and it's not woody yet, where it's just still, like, looks like a normal green vine, you can hit that anytime, because it's, like, fleshy, which is kind of a gross word.
00:12:40
Jessica
Right.
00:12:42
Plant People
I know a lot of people don't like the word moist. Moist doesn't bother me, but the word fleshy, fleshy's kind of a weird word, isn't And I'm like, eww.
00:12:45
Jessica
Moist does not bother me. Fleshy kind of bothers me, though. Yeah. Maybe everybody else is just weird because they think moist is weird, but Fleshy is definitely weirder.
00:12:55
Plant People
Well, you know, we talk about moisture a lot in the plant and baking world, so it's very normal for us.
00:12:57
Jessica
Yeah, that's true.
00:13:01
Plant People
Also, you probably can't hear it, but if you hear it, my dog is dreaming right now, and so there's little tiny barks happening in the background.
00:13:01
Jessica
Very true.
00:13:08
Jessica
can barely hear hear him I thought he was like outside.
00:13:11
Plant People
He's dreaming.
00:13:12
Jessica
ah oh Yeah.
00:13:13
Plant People
he's dreaming. ah But yes, okay, poison oak, we probably see it less, little less in central Kentucky. Does it have like a specific...
00:13:22
Jessica
Yeah, I would say so. Well, because like poison ivy, you can find it everywhere. Like my mom has some in her flower bed, right?
00:13:28
Plant People
everywhere right that's true more of a deep shade yeah yeah good point okay what else you got mmm the mushies
00:13:29
Jessica
It's not just a wooded area. I feel like poison oak is more of a wooded area um where you're going to find that one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. ah So something else that we encounter a lot, fungi, right? So mushrooms. ah My word of a advice to everybody is don't eat mushrooms that you find.
00:13:53
Jessica
If you find a mushroom,
00:13:54
Plant People
even if you think you know what they are don't eat them
00:13:56
Jessica
Yes. That's what I tell people all the time. They find mushrooms growing in their yard and they're like, hey, can I eat this mushroom? And I'll say, And they'll say, can you send it off for somebody to identify it? And I'm like, sure. And they'll still come back and say, we think it's this or it is this, but we still recommend you don't eat mushrooms you find your yard unless –
00:14:15
Plant People
Yeah.
00:14:15
Jessica
You have that background unless you're an experienced forager, you have resources, unless it is something that is very clear, very easy to identify.
00:14:17
Plant People
says okay
00:14:24
Plant People
Yeah.
00:14:25
Jessica
Because there are some things out there that look very similar to each other.
00:14:26
Plant People
Yeah.
00:14:28
Plant People
Identical.
00:14:30
Jessica
And one of them might be a tasty treat. And the other ones may give you the worst stomach issues of your life or potentially, i don't know, some of them can kill you.
00:14:41
Plant People
yeah
00:14:41
Jessica
so um
00:14:45
Plant People
There's ah um an influencer I follow who's also named Alexis, and she she does this thing and she compares.
00:14:50
Jessica
Love her.
00:14:51
Plant People
Yes, she's great. um She compares plants side by side that look alike, and she does some sort of song that I can't remember, but it's she's like, one's a tasty snack and one will kill you.
00:14:59
Jessica
Yes, it's a great.
00:15:00
Plant People
and
00:15:00
Jessica
And then she's always like happy snacking. Don't die at the end of her.
00:15:03
Plant People
Happy snacking. Don't die. Yeah, yeah.
00:15:05
Jessica
Yeah, which is very true.
00:15:05
Plant People
Shout out. Shout out to her.
00:15:08
Jessica
She's amazing. We're big fans. But yeah, there's lots of them out there that are kind of similar. Or you like think, you're like, ah, you know, I could tell the difference.
00:15:18
Jessica
But the Chantrelles versus Jack-o'-lantern ones, if you like look those up.
00:15:23
Plant People
Mm.
00:15:25
Jessica
UK has a great publication of just on mushrooms in general. And they have a couple of like images where it breaks down between the two, right? like
00:15:32
Plant People
Yeah, what to look for.
00:15:33
Jessica
Have things to look for, like the gills, the pattern of growth. like you know, does things leave spore prints?
00:15:37
Plant People
here
00:15:40
Jessica
Like there's all these things that go into mushroom identification.
00:15:44
Plant People
Yeah.
00:15:44
Jessica
right.
00:15:45
Plant People
Even like the host tree, like being able to identify, is it growing on an ash or is it growing on an oak?
00:15:47
Jessica
Right.
00:15:51
Plant People
And because some fungi are so super specific that, you know, they might look like what you're after, but it's growing on the wrong tree.
00:15:56
Jessica
Right.
00:16:00
Plant People
So.
00:16:01
Jessica
Right. Like these chanterelles versus jack-o'-lanterns, like chanterelles are usually like out in the soil. Like they're popping up everywhere, but where the jack-o'-lanterns are more clustered together at a base of a tree.
00:16:07
Plant People
Hmm.
00:16:11
Jessica
um They look very similar and one can make you very sick if you eat it ah versus the other one. So it's best not to just, you know, not to risk it. There are edible ones out there.
00:16:22
Plant People
Yeah.
00:16:23
Jessica
If you are interested in that to get like a great resource book or maybe, you know, just come and attend some other classes, of growing mushrooms right like oyster mushrooms are super easy shiitakes um even though that was like one of my most frustrating classes not so much frustrating but like it's hard to get the material at the right time uh but once you get logs and stuff inoculated it's amazing like they might sit there for a while but once they start producing they really start producing you will forget about them and then you'll suddenly have them
00:16:31
Plant People
Grow your own mushrooms that you know what they are. ah Mm-hmm.
00:16:43
Plant People
It's a lot. Yeah.
00:16:49
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:16:52
Plant People
You will forget about them. And, but then when they, and then they'll just keep coming and you're like, oh God, there's mushrooms back there.
00:16:59
Jessica
Yes.
00:17:00
Plant People
That's me. That's my personal experience.
00:17:02
Jessica
So, so just always be cautious with like foraging mushrooms unless you are experienced with that for sure.
Friendly Spiders' Role
00:17:11
Jessica
ah Kind of moving into some insects now.
00:17:14
Plant People
ah Jessica's favorite thing.
00:17:15
Jessica
and insects and not insects, some arachnids, right?
00:17:17
Plant People
Yeah.
00:17:21
Jessica
um People all the time think I like, i there are spiders that I do like. um But they're like, don't you?
00:17:27
Plant People
Jumpy little cute jumping spiders.
00:17:29
Jessica
Oh, my gosh.
00:17:29
Plant People
the little The little fuzzy.
00:17:30
Jessica
Why are they so cute?
00:17:32
Plant People
They are so cute. And listen, I know there's people listening.
00:17:34
Jessica
They seem friendly.
00:17:36
Plant People
Yeah, I know. i have made, i so I'm telling you, I've made friends with the ones in my greenhouse. And like we besties in there. And I'm like, here you Like, can you go check out those fungus gnats over there?
00:17:43
Jessica
Yeah.
00:17:46
Plant People
Thanks, boo. um
00:17:47
Jessica
They're so cute. And then we we've had recently, we've had little crab spiders, little white crab spiders living in peonies.
00:17:52
Plant People
Oh, yeah. The little white ones.
00:17:56
Jessica
And so it's like that's just like their home right now. They've been living in the peony petals.
00:17:59
Plant People
Okay. Do they tend to, I'm wondering, because the only time I've ever seen crab spiders, like legitimately, I would probably put money on the fact I've only ever seen them on pink flowers.
00:18:12
Jessica
Really?
00:18:13
Plant People
Yeah. Like I always see them every year. I've got like, ah I probably have a photo every single year of a white crab spider on pink celosia. I've only ever seen it on pink celosia. Cone flower. And now you just told me peony.
00:18:24
Plant People
And I'm like, they have a thing for pink maybe.
00:18:25
Jessica
Yeah, and it's a it's a pink peony.
00:18:28
Plant People
Yeah.
00:18:28
Jessica
Man, now going to have to like pay attention to that.
00:18:28
Plant People
I don't know. Where's we, we're going to have to call Larson like Larson.
00:18:32
Jessica
Yeah.
00:18:32
Plant People
Tell us more about crap.
00:18:34
Jessica
Or somebody's going to have to comment or something and let us know if they see them on something else.
00:18:34
Plant People
He's yeah. Yeah. Tell us where you've seen those white crab spiders. Are they on pink things?
00:18:39
Jessica
Yeah.
00:18:40
Plant People
I need to know.
00:18:42
Jessica
Yeah, we need to figure this out.
00:18:42
Plant People
I need to know. Okay.
00:18:44
Jessica
um Well, those guys aren't going to hurt you. Be those guys' friends on the other side.
00:18:47
Plant People
On the bright side, they also won't hurt you and they love pink.
00:18:50
Jessica
They won't hurt you.
00:18:50
Plant People
They, they cute little Barbie girls.
00:18:51
Jessica
Yeah. Yeah.
00:18:52
Plant People
Yeah.
00:18:52
Jessica
And they're good little little predators, right? They're helping this out. That's like me coming to terms with wolf spiders. Even though they are giant and they seem like they are chasing you.
00:18:59
Plant People
Mm-hmm. They are scary. Yeah.
00:19:02
Jessica
They can't see really well. They really can't see.
00:19:04
Plant People
Oh, well, that actually makes me feel a little better.
00:19:05
Jessica
So that's... Yeah, that's why I think they like just like run all crazy and it feels like you're chaing they're chasing you.
00:19:06
Plant People
Because
00:19:11
Jessica
But...
00:19:11
Plant People
they think you're going to step on them because they don't know where you're at.
00:19:12
Jessica
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, they can't. Yeah, they just can't see.
00:19:16
Plant People
See, listen, the more you know, the less scared you are of something.
00:19:19
Jessica
Right. And so...
00:19:19
Plant People
Now, next time you see a wolf spider, you're gonna be like, oh, baby, you blind. It's cool. We good.
00:19:23
Jessica
Yeah, and you're you're it's good that I see you. That means you're like eating other things. So you're good. good at you know my environment is healthy. But back to things to look for, look out for. Something that's not so prevalent right now in the spring, but something if you really like to hike and be outdoors more in the late summer, ah are stinging caterpillars.
00:19:44
Jessica
So that's when they really start to ramp up. And most of them turn like into just moths. Not to diss moths. There's really pretty moths as well. um
00:19:52
Plant People
Just, you know, moths. They have the cutest little feather antennas.
00:19:54
Jessica
Moths. Yes, they do. um But a lot of these stinging caterpillars, they're out in the woods, wooded areas. And a lot of times people get stung without even realizing that they're stung.
00:20:06
Jessica
All of a sudden you'll feel just like a sharp pain, like on your arm.
00:20:09
Plant People
Yep.
00:20:10
Jessica
They have these hollow, ah venomous um hairs, tubes, spines.
00:20:15
Plant People
Spines. Okay.
00:20:17
Jessica
Yeah. That will break off.
00:20:17
Plant People
Yeah.
00:20:18
Jessica
And sometimes it feels kind of like fiberglass. If you've ever had that experience before.
00:20:21
Plant People
Sort of like cat, like cactus, like the fuzzy cactus are like that.
00:20:23
Jessica
Yeah. Yeah. So it's hard to get them out like of, a you know, you can put like some tape or something on there to try to like pull them out.
00:20:24
Plant People
Yeah.
00:20:30
Plant People
Rip them out.
00:20:31
Jessica
um
00:20:31
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:20:32
Jessica
You know, but just washing the area thoroughly is about it. But you can see sometimes um you'll see the very distinct pattern because it'll feel like something has stung you, but you don't see a wasp. You don't see a bee or anything.
00:20:43
Jessica
But then eventually you'll see like multiple little dots in a row and that's where the hairs have been.
00:20:43
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:20:47
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:20:48
Jessica
But a lot of people have encounters with those later in the summer going into the fall.
00:20:50
Plant People
Ah.
00:20:53
Jessica
when they go hiking because that's when they're most active and we see the highest population numbers at that point.
00:20:53
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:20:57
Plant People
Yeah. Yeah, I see a lot of the Saddleback caterpillars. I feel like it's the one I see the most often and they're great.
00:21:03
Jessica
Yeah. Yeah. And they're kind of cool looking though.
00:21:06
Plant People
You've probably all seen them. They do look cool.
00:21:09
Jessica
So that's the thing.
00:21:10
Plant People
They're cute little cuties.
00:21:10
Jessica
They look cool So that's something I've also now over time have had to train my kids. Like we like, you know, you see a woolly bear worm and everyone's like, oh, you can pick those up. They're really cute and friendly and soft.
00:21:22
Jessica
But now there are some of them that look soft that are actually stinging ones. So it's kind of like a not soft really.
00:21:28
Plant People
Look soft, not soft.
00:21:30
Jessica
So like just use caution.
00:21:31
Plant People
what's it There's like, yeah, there what there's like a a meme series and it shows like pictures of three different people or three different things. And it's like, um what is it? look Looks like a teddy bear is a teddy bear.
00:21:43
Plant People
Looks like a teddy bear will kill you.
00:21:43
Jessica
Right.
00:21:45
Plant People
Looks like it will kill you is an actual dot teddy bear.
00:21:48
Jessica
youre Right. Exactly. That's what that's what they are.
00:21:50
Plant People
And there are like teddy bear caterpillars that probably will kill you.
00:21:52
Jessica
hu
00:21:53
Plant People
So, you know, maybe not kill you, but uncomfortable.
00:21:56
Jessica
Make you feel pretty bad.
00:21:56
Plant People
I've been stung by a saddleback and it is not fun.
00:21:59
Jessica
Yeah.
00:21:59
Plant People
Just like reach into a tree and snag it.
00:21:59
Jessica
and Some people like have...
00:22:04
Jessica
like GI issues after they get stung.
00:22:07
Plant People
Oh.
00:22:07
Jessica
Like it called like allergic reaction that way as well can happen sometimes.
00:22:10
Plant People
Oh.
00:22:11
Jessica
um
00:22:12
Plant People
to
00:22:13
Jessica
Just ah it makes you, um it makes you feel pretty icky after getting stung by one.
00:22:16
Plant People
Yeah.
00:22:17
Jessica
So.
00:22:17
Plant People
Yeah. Ooh.
00:22:19
Jessica
Moving into more things that sting, and which is quite relevant because my son was stung by a honeybee ah
Wasps, Bees, and Safe Nest Handling
00:22:27
Jessica
two nights ago.
00:22:27
Plant People
Oh.
00:22:28
Jessica
of
00:22:29
Plant People
Oh.
00:22:29
Jessica
Looking at him in a tulip poplar that was in full bloom and the tulip poplar was just buzzing. And so we went over there we were looking in the flowers and the honeybees were just all in it.
00:22:35
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:22:38
Jessica
And for some reason, this honeybee was like, today's the day I'm going to die. And it's going to be on top of this little boy's head and I'm going to get stuck in his hair. Out of nowhere, it just... just stuck him.
00:22:49
Jessica
And so, it was very traumatic for about two hours. He thought his beekeeping career was over. Uh, but he's come back around.
00:22:56
Plant People
Is this your eldest or your middle child?
00:22:57
Jessica
It is my oldest. Yes.
00:22:58
Plant People
Okay. Yes, his beekeeping career was over.
00:23:00
Jessica
If it had happened to the middle child, he would have just pulled the stinger out and kept on going.
00:23:02
Plant People
He would've...
00:23:04
Jessica
um
00:23:04
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:23:06
Jessica
But, you know, honeybees, they're one thing, right? But a lot of times as we get ramped up in the summer, um we see encounter a lot of um European hornets, wasps, paper wasps, yellow jackets, ah paper wasps.
00:23:20
Plant People
Mm.
00:23:23
Plant People
The paper wasps, man, they're bad.
00:23:26
Jessica
Yeah, they so, so aggressive and it's aggressive trying to protect their nest.
00:23:26
Plant People
Everywhere. Mm-hmm.
00:23:31
Jessica
um They serve a purpose. A lot of people are like, why the heck do we have these things? They are terrible. Right. um
00:23:41
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:23:43
Jessica
But I mean, they are predators. They go and eat caterpillars. They can be very beneficial to your garden and stuff.
00:23:47
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:23:49
Jessica
um We just don't want them around our house. Right. Like we, right.
00:23:53
Plant People
That's where they want to be too. And it's like, guys, I have all of these plants out for you.
00:23:54
Jessica
Right.
00:23:57
Plant People
I need you to go over there. Thank you.
00:23:59
Jessica
Right.
00:23:59
Plant People
But no, they're in between and my on my porch.
00:24:00
Jessica
Yeah.
00:24:04
Jessica
Yes. So like trying to knock those nests down, please, please, please, please stop doing the viral hack. One, gas is too expensive to be doing this.
00:24:15
Plant People
Truth.
00:24:15
Jessica
But two, I've seen where people take gas and they put it in a cup and then they hold it over the nest
00:24:16
Plant People
Facts.
00:24:20
Plant People
Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
00:24:23
Jessica
For the fumes to like knock down all of the wasps.
00:24:27
Plant People
Insects. The wasps.
00:24:29
Jessica
Do you realize how like, okay, so many things could go wrong. So many things. you don't get
00:24:35
Plant People
First of all.
00:24:35
Jessica
but You don't get all of them, right? So there's going to be people once returning.
00:24:38
Plant People
Yeah. You only get what's on the nest when you get there.
00:24:40
Jessica
Yes. And hopefully you are on a steady ladder, right? And you got to hope that like you're going to hold it up there.
00:24:45
Plant People
Yeah. And you've got to get really close, like my arm's length away from this nest.
00:24:48
Jessica
Yeah.
00:24:51
Jessica
So the easiest thing to do, wait till nighttime or like right at dusk, get you a can of the wasp spray that can really, you know, shoot really far and go out there at at when it's dark.
00:24:59
Plant People
Mm-hmm. That good stuff.
00:25:03
Jessica
They all go back to the nest at night and then just zap it with that. And they also, you know, they won't.
00:25:07
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:25:10
Jessica
come after you because they they're ideally like unless you have a light on your head or if you have a light a flashlight going they'll follow they'll follow the light but otherwise you know that's the easiest way to take care of them so please stop doing that viral hack that people have told me like it's very concerning right exactly um
00:25:11
Plant People
Yeah. Frozen.
00:25:15
Plant People
yet Oh yeah, good tip. Don't be...
00:25:23
Plant People
Please stop doing that. I have seen that viral hack, and I'm sure it works, but like at at what cost? Yeah, I don't want to get that close.
00:25:33
Jessica
Yeah, but bees and wasps can be real dangerous just because ah for people who are allergic to them, right?
00:25:33
Plant People
No, thank you.
00:25:39
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:25:39
Jessica
So that is one to be concerned about, about making sure you have them removed um from your house or other areas where you're going to be be at and hopefully like you know encourage them to go other Yeah.
00:25:51
Plant People
Yeah, it feels like once if you can like stay diligent about it early in the season, like, you know, May into June that you kill off the ones at your house and it feels...
00:26:02
Plant People
and This is just my opinion. I'm not backing this up with facts and that's why there's an entomologist here. But it feels like once we, if we can stay diligent on them for like kind of that first month when they're making nests, that we don't really see a ton more because I guess we've killed the ones and then the other ones have already made nests somewhere else.
00:26:19
Plant People
So it's like not, you know, maybe we get the occasional, but...
00:26:21
Jessica
Right. Right. You only like really see them again is like when we get into the fall because nectar sources are limited.
00:26:23
Plant People
Hmm.
00:26:28
Jessica
That's when we start seeing them come around like trash cans more and things like that searching for ah sugar.
00:26:29
Plant People
Uh...
00:26:32
Plant People
Yeah, yeah.
00:26:35
Jessica
Right. Like that's.
00:26:36
Plant People
Does the um fake hornet's nest work? Like if you put up a fake hornet's nest or wasp nest?
00:26:44
Jessica
I think it does. I think that I see where somebody used one of those in a high tunnel. Yeah.
00:26:49
Plant People
I have used one on my porch and like I couldn't tell if it was a placebo effect or if it actually worked.
00:26:56
Jessica
Right. Yeah. Right. um
00:26:59
Plant People
But like it made me feel like I was doing something.
00:27:01
Jessica
Right. Yeah. Yeah. Because I don't know if that's kind of just like the Japanese beetle traps and the, you know, stink bug traps and, um you know, your catch.
00:27:09
Plant People
Right. Like they don't technically not work, but it's maybe not the best thing. I don't i don't know.
00:27:14
Jessica
Right. Yeah. I don't either. That's another good.
00:27:16
Plant People
Also, mine were like literally looks like they expanded like a Chinese lantern. So maybe you needed like a like um a more realistic one than one that was just like a Chinese lantern shaped in a cone.
00:27:21
Jessica
yeah
00:27:30
Plant People
But, you know, I'm sure there's research out there somewhere about it.
00:27:34
Jessica
Right.
00:27:34
Plant People
Right.
00:27:34
Jessica
Right. And it should be as long long as I'm on my soapbox about things that you see online. ah The murder hornet. We don't have that. um i think it's been completely eradicated now, though, where they found it in ah completely opposite side of the country.
00:27:50
Jessica
So a lot of times what we see.
00:27:50
Plant People
And it wasn't even, was it even on the mainland? I thought it was like on an island off of Washington state or something like that.
00:27:57
Jessica
Yeah, I think I'm pretty sure it was something, it was very isolated. A lot of what we're seeing, you know, if you see things around Kentucky, you probably see cicada killers that are really large. ah European hornets are also very large um that we see, but we don't have any, yeah, we don't have any of those other ones that they were, had everyone so scared about a couple of years ago.
00:28:10
Plant People
Scary. Those look scary.
00:28:17
Jessica
um
00:28:18
Plant People
But we are on the lookout for a new one that Amanda had talked about, right?
00:28:22
Jessica
they Yeah, the yellow leg a hornet.
00:28:25
Plant People
The Yellow Lake Hornet, right?
00:28:27
Jessica
Yeah, because it can go in and harm bees, right?
00:28:31
Plant People
isn
00:28:31
Jessica
Honeybees. So be very detrimental to the honeybee population.
00:28:33
Plant People
this is
00:28:37
Plant People
Be on the lookout if you see a hornet carrying around a bee. It is not friendly.
00:28:42
Jessica
Right. We don't want to see that.
00:28:43
Plant People
Let us know immediately.
00:28:45
Jessica
Yeah. Yeah.
00:28:45
Plant People
um Okay. So we got caterpillars. We've got wasps and bees. What else?
00:28:52
Jessica
I got one more insect that I just thought of that is the deadliest insect in the world.
Mosquitos: Deadly Yet Ecologically Important
00:28:58
Jessica
You know what that is, right?
00:29:01
Plant People
I was like, well, if you had asked me as a child, I would have been like, it's the daddy long leg. Because somehow, somehow the world got around that the the daddy long leg was the most poisonous spider. It just didn't have long enough fangs to bite you.
00:29:14
Jessica
Yeah. And he's not even a spider.
00:29:14
Plant People
i don't know. And it's not even a spider.
00:29:18
Jessica
He only has one body part. Um,
00:29:21
Plant People
He's just a little nubbin'.
00:29:22
Jessica
Yeah. Yeah.
00:29:24
Plant People
since
00:29:24
Jessica
ah It's mosquitoes.
00:29:27
Plant People
No, yeah.
00:29:27
Jessica
the Yeah.
00:29:27
Plant People
Okay, that makes sense.
00:29:28
Jessica
Because they transmit malaria and they are kind of terrible that way. But I always tell people, too, I'm like, well, there are also lots and lots of things that eat mosquitoes.
00:29:38
Jessica
Yeah. So they're very important, a part of the, like the food chain.
00:29:40
Plant People
Yeah.
00:29:43
Jessica
Right. Um, but yeah, but it's like the time year that, uh, mosquito control, cause mosquitoes can be vectors of different diseases of making sure to, if you have, you know, they can, I think it's develop in a tablespoon of water.
00:30:00
Jessica
That's all it takes for them to develop.
00:30:00
Plant People
Yeah, like a film of water sometimes.
00:30:03
Jessica
Uh huh.
00:30:03
Plant People
That's, I mean, what? That's wild.
00:30:05
Jessica
Yeah. When I was ah when i was in ah livestock entomology class, they gave us little tiny tubes of mosquitoes that we like took home.
00:30:16
Jessica
right That was like our project to watch them go through their metamorphosis.
00:30:19
Plant People
Your little Tamagotchis.
00:30:21
Jessica
I dropped mine and killed my mosquito larvae. So I had to go ah to Dr. Townsend, who is amazing,
00:30:26
Plant People
I was like, why didn't you just go get him out of one of your dad's buckets that he didn't turn over?
00:30:30
Jessica
and And I had to go, well, was the winter time when they gave them to us, right? And so i had to go and request a... um Yeah, and so then, of course, they joked with me.
00:30:38
Plant People
i would like more mosquitoes, please, sir.
00:30:42
Jessica
They're like, did you pass your home ec class where you had to like take care of the fake like baby or whatever? This is like your fake baby, these mosquitoes that you killed.
00:30:48
Plant People
now The little meep, meep, meep, meep.
00:30:51
Jessica
um Yeah. So, yeah, they developed... like So if you have like areas in your yard that might hold water, you have a bunch of containers, you have an old tarp if it rains a lot.
00:31:03
Jessica
um It's like a shaded area, so it's not going to dry out quickly.
00:31:04
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:31:06
Jessica
um Try to like just turn those buckets over because those mosquitoes can develop so quickly. And then nobody enjoys that.
00:31:14
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:31:15
Jessica
like you know Having to always put on...
00:31:16
Plant People
I have two mosquito bites my first two of the year and I'm already miserable about it.
00:31:20
Jessica
Right. So just simple steps like that of making sure there's not a source for them to develop in putting mosquito dunks and things.
00:31:22
Plant People
Like.
00:31:29
Jessica
So like if you have bird baths or other things that maybe you don't have, um, like fish, like some of like little ponds and stuff, you might have like goldfish or other things in or,
00:31:31
Plant People
good stuff.
00:31:39
Jessica
we put goldfish in all of our cattle water troughs um the little tiny goldfish and after a couple years they will be gigantic which is kind of cool to see uh but they help keep mosquitoes and other things like that down so there's different tactics out there but you know just keep in mind to it is tis the season for them as well yeah
00:31:59
Plant People
the Nobody wants to be eaten alive by mosquitoes.
00:32:02
Jessica
Right. um But moving into arachnids that we have. um Right. They have too many legs, so I don't cover them. No, just kidding. ah The two venomous spiders.
00:32:16
Plant People
That's how i feel about mushrooms. I'm like, mushrooms aren't really plants, so I don't really know a ton about them. I know how to kill them when they affect a plant.
00:32:21
Jessica
Right. Like, right.
00:32:24
Plant People
Yeah.
00:32:25
Jessica
Right. Yes. um Black Widow and Brown Recluse. If you're in Kentucky listening, those are our two venomous spiders that we have.
00:32:30
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:32:35
Jessica
The Black Widow is a cobweb spider. So they make like a messy web. They like to be outside. We see them mostly outside or sometimes in garages. And they can be found anywhere like urban and rural areas.
00:32:47
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:32:49
Jessica
It's the classic spider that's solid black and the female has a red hourglass. a shape on her abdomen.
00:32:54
Plant People
Is the male also venomous, Jessica?
00:32:57
Jessica
The male is also venomous, but they are very tiny and they are, um, very tiny brown, um brownish color might've seen them before.
00:33:00
Plant People
Okay.
00:33:07
Jessica
And you would not even, you know, no idea. And then like in central Kentucky, our black widows are more black in color. And I think in Western Kentucky, they're more of a brownish color with the the hourglass on them.
00:33:20
Jessica
um,
00:33:20
Plant People
Interesting.
00:33:21
Jessica
Most bites, though, occur just from accident. Like if people accidentally touch them um or grab them.
00:33:27
Plant People
the The amount of times I have reached in and luckily had gloves on and like, you know, grabbed a cinder block that's been stocked, stacked up outside for a while and, you know, set it down and happened to look, Oh, look a black widow right next to my hand that is thankfully wearing gloves.
00:33:41
Jessica
Right.
00:33:42
Plant People
So yeah, wear gloves.
00:33:43
Jessica
Yeah, for sure. oh Going in with that is the other one is the brown recluse. And... There are so many brown...
00:33:50
Plant People
Those ones are so scary.
00:33:51
Jessica
Yeah, I know.
00:33:52
Plant People
That's so scary.
00:33:52
Jessica
There are so many brown spiders in Kentucky. So that's one. That makes it hard with identifying them.
00:33:58
Plant People
Yeah.
00:33:59
Jessica
um If you get close enough to them, they're also called the fiddleback spider because on their abdomen, they have what looks like a fiddle or a violin.
00:34:03
Plant People
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:34:08
Jessica
it's And then once you see it... if you look it up after this podcast or right now we're on here and you see it, you're going to be like, Oh wow. I now will always be able to identify one.
00:34:18
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:34:19
Jessica
If I get close to one, um, you gotta get close them or take a picture, right.
00:34:21
Plant People
The trick is you gotta get close enough to see it. ah
00:34:26
Jessica
And zoom in. Um, they're kind of weird because they have also have six eyes, right.
00:34:27
Plant People
ah
00:34:32
Jessica
Compared to, um, other spiders who have eight.
00:34:36
Plant People
ah Eight eyes, yeah.
00:34:36
Jessica
Um, but you know,
00:34:38
Plant People
I'm not getting close enough to count the eyes, I can tell you that.
00:34:40
Jessica
I know. I know. Not, I'm not, I'm not doing that either.
00:34:43
Plant People
Not unless it's dead and in a bag.
00:34:43
Jessica
I'm not doing that. Yeah. But they're about the size of a quarter, right? This is like when their legs are fully stretched out.
00:34:49
Plant People
So.
00:34:52
Jessica
Um, they, we, yeah, we end up seeing these more in houses.
00:34:52
Plant People
Mm-hmm. That's smaller than I thought they were for some reason. Mm-hmm.
00:34:58
Jessica
Um, they will get into structures and things. Um, people again, most of the time, if they're bit by them, it's only by accident where they've actually wandered into something, and you know, shoes or whatever, put their hands somewhere.
00:35:09
Plant People
Mm-hmm. Put their hand somewhere. yeah
00:35:13
Jessica
a lot of people, you know, if they think you have spiders issues or like any kind of insect issues using the sticky traps, um, and putting them in the corners of rooms on the floor because spiders and other critters like to walk around the edges of the room most of the time.
00:35:21
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:35:28
Plant People
Yeah.
00:35:29
Jessica
So if you suspect something, that's a good way to like, you know, test and see if you have anything in there.
00:35:34
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:35:35
Jessica
um So the thing is with both of these spiders is they are most dangerous to people who are immune compromised, the elderly or the real young.
00:35:48
Jessica
Right. I talk to kids about this topic, I often say to them, I was like, you will most likely go to the doctor if you have a bite and it it's not getting better. i said, the issues happen if you get bit and then you choose to do nothing about it.
00:36:02
Jessica
But ideally with both of these, you know, if you get bit um and it's continuously worse, you're going to go to the doctor and then they're going to be able to give you an antibiotic or going to be able to help you out um without, you know, having any serious comp
00:36:02
Plant People
Yeah.
00:36:09
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:36:15
Jessica
complications. But it is like important if, right, it is important if you do find a bunch of them that you do, and especially a dwelling, um they call a pest control company to try to get them under control before they their populations can can take off, which nobody wants.
00:36:16
Plant People
And don't scratch it.
00:36:35
Jessica
So, yeah.
00:36:35
Plant People
Yeah. Yeah.
00:36:36
Jessica
Yeah.
00:36:36
Plant People
I had, I had a friend who, was a you know, hor trained horticulturist. So she'd had some entomology classes and did the sticky traps in her house and found way more brown recluses than anyone in their right mind would be comfortable with. And she was like, what do I do?
00:36:56
Plant People
You call someone immediately. Like that is not normal.
00:36:59
Jessica
Right. Right.
00:37:01
Plant People
And bless her. She's still alive. And so are all her family. So it worked out.
00:37:04
Jessica
Right.
00:37:05
Plant People
But like, yeah, you check for that thing.
00:37:10
Jessica
Another one that we've been talking about that we keep saying, like, there's just so many this year are ticks.
00:37:16
Plant People
They're worse than they've ever been.
00:37:18
Jessica
I think ticks and ticks are just the worst. They're just the worst.
Tick Safety and Rising Diseases
00:37:22
Plant People
They are, honestly.
00:37:22
Jessica
Mm-hmm.
00:37:23
Plant People
And they be they're so they can be so small that, like, you think it's a freckle, and then suddenly your freckle is really itchy and red, and you're like, hmm, this is a little freckle.
00:37:33
Plant People
Like, evil.
00:37:33
Jessica
Or your freckles grown overnight. Right?
00:37:36
Plant People
right up but Yes.
00:37:37
Jessica
Yeah.
00:37:38
Plant People
And then you're like, oh, by the way, you can also get all of these diseases because of it.
00:37:39
Jessica
So.
00:37:42
Plant People
um It's fine.
00:37:43
Jessica
Oh, my gosh. Yes.
00:37:44
Plant People
I'm allowed to say that because I have alpha gal.
00:37:45
Jessica
Right.
00:37:46
Plant People
So from a tick.
00:37:47
Jessica
Yeah. So there so many. diseases now that they can like, you know, pass along. Alpha gal, like ah Alexis mentioned, is becoming and like really big in so and Kentucky. and The numbers continue to increase with that. That is mostly passed along by the Lone Star tick, which is...
00:38:09
Jessica
ticks are almost active all year round now. And with our seasonal change that we have, um, where it stays warmer. So they're active. There used to be a time, like I know as a kid where it would be like, Oh, you don't have to worry about ticks.
00:38:20
Jessica
If you go into tall grass out in the winter time or the woods, you don't have to worry as much, but now you still do. you still need to put, um, bug spray on and take all the precautions.
00:38:30
Plant People
If it's above freezing, right?
00:38:31
Jessica
Yeah.
00:38:31
Plant People
Like it's if it's 34 degrees outside, the ticks can be active.
00:38:32
Jessica
Yep. Mm hmm. So all of the things, um avoid, you know, going into uncut fields, tall grass. They really like moisture, tall grass, like wooded areas.
00:38:46
Jessica
ah They dislike, you know, if it's just an open field of blazing sun, that's not really their ideal environment, short grass.
00:38:52
Plant People
Mm-hmm. Short grass. Yeah, like your front yard that gets full sun.
00:38:55
Jessica
Um, you know, do the thing. It might look silly, but if you're going to tick area, you know, pants on, pull your socks up over your pants and then spray yourself with bug spray.
00:39:04
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:39:05
Jessica
Um, and and we're talking about using like, uh, legit bug spray.
00:39:06
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:39:10
Jessica
ah not something that you might be mixing up at home.
00:39:11
Plant People
ah like
00:39:14
Jessica
Um, that might work great for like, you know, some mosquitoes or something like that, but ticks are a different ball game.
00:39:18
Plant People
Yeah.
00:39:20
Jessica
Um, but if you do get a tick on yourself, it's important to like, after you go in these tick areas, check yourself, have a buddy, have a friend who is willing to help check as well on you nooks and crannies.
00:39:31
Plant People
Check the nooks and crannies.
00:39:34
Jessica
There should be no embarrassment when it comes to that to try to get things off.
00:39:35
Plant People
Yeah. No.
00:39:38
Jessica
Um,
00:39:38
Plant People
Well, because they like to be at like lines where like elastic is, right?
00:39:42
Jessica
Right. Right. Yeah.
00:39:43
Plant People
Yeah. Like you' the top of your sock, your you the underwear line, like your the line of your wear belt.
00:39:47
Jessica
hmm. Your belt. Yep. That's where they like to be.
00:39:50
Plant People
Yeah.
00:39:52
Jessica
ah There's also lots of things that you will see where it's like how to remove a tick. Right. And like I have heard where people talk about, oh, well, you take a burn in of a match and put it on it or you, you know, do all these things.
00:39:57
Plant People
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:40:04
Plant People
You will burn yourself.
00:40:04
Jessica
Well,
00:40:05
Plant People
What are you doing, people?
00:40:05
Jessica
I can tell you what else will happen is, one, the tick bites harder ah when you start to like burn them and mess with them that way.
00:40:06
Plant People
Yeah.
00:40:16
Jessica
ah They will also regurgitate back into you, um which increases your risk of getting some of these tick-borne diseases. So ideally, what you need to do is very simple, is just to get a pair of tweezers.
00:40:28
Jessica
Or if you don't have tweezers, you know take your fingers, even though it's like also creepy, and just grab them and pull them straight off. Don't twist them or anything.
00:40:35
Plant People
the As close to the skin as possible, right?
00:40:37
Jessica
Yep.
00:40:37
Plant People
Just pluck them out.
00:40:39
Jessica
Pluck them out, wash the area. um Keep in mind about like where, you know, for a couple of days, like where you pulled them off at so you can watch the area to make sure you don't have any sort of reaction to them.
00:40:47
Plant People
Mm-hmm. can...
00:40:51
Jessica
um And, you know, hopefully.
00:40:53
Plant People
you can I have heard and I have started doing just especially since AlphaGal and knowing that some of these tick-borne diseases are, depending on where you are in the state, doctors are not, seem to be not as familiar with them.
00:41:08
Plant People
I think it's, they're becoming more and more familiar.
00:41:09
Jessica
It's picking up. Yeah.
00:41:11
Plant People
It's picking up because, you know, we have actual statistics that say like the percentage of ticks with these different, you know, diseases. The UK has done some studies on that. Um, but you can also like, if you're concerned, throw it in a baggie, throw it in the freezer and keep, you know, put a date on it and then keep it for, you know, two weeks.
00:41:30
Plant People
And if you, you're, it goes away, it doesn't itch, you're not noticing anything, then you can throw that baggie away. Actually, uh, Tyler, my husband just pulled a baggie of it. tick from like last year out of the freezer.
00:41:42
Plant People
I forgot what's in there.
00:41:42
Jessica
Hey, that's not weird at all in my household.
00:41:43
Plant People
He's like, do you still need this? ah And I was like, no, you can throw that one away. Thanks. I'm not dying.
00:41:48
Jessica
Yeah.
00:41:49
Plant People
um But you know, if you're, if you're concerned or you have, you know, children or something like that, it it could be some, it's just something easy to do and just throw a date on it.
00:41:58
Jessica
Right.
00:41:59
Plant People
Cause it's a lot easier to test the tick for one of these, you know, problems than it is to test the human for it. Right. Like, They can go in and suck some stuff out of the gut and be like, oh, yeah, it's Rocky Mountain spotted fever whatever.
00:42:12
Jessica
Right.
00:42:13
Plant People
Not to freak anybody out.
00:42:14
Jessica
Right. Exactly. but But that's a good practice.
00:42:15
Plant People
We're just saying nature danger.
00:42:16
Jessica
Like i I, do the same thing, which I had a friend was like, Oh, you can tell you're a total entomologist. And I'm like, well, no, I think that's like the new standard now for ticks.
00:42:25
Plant People
Yeah.
00:42:26
Jessica
It's like you pull them off and you like throw them in a bag and throw them in your freezer.
00:42:29
Plant People
Throw it in a bag. Mm-hmm.
00:42:32
Jessica
So, um, yeah.
00:42:33
Plant People
Mm-hmm. there i listen tick bites are the worst like i have huge like swollen areas for like two weeks when i have get tick bites and like and and then you had mosquitoes on top or chiggers or something no miserable in the summer
00:42:35
Jessica
So,
00:42:41
Jessica
man,
00:42:48
Jessica
Yeah, we didn't even talk about triggers. Yeah. We didn't even talk about triggers.
00:42:52
Plant People
Don't even get there. But yeah, the ticks and something I learned today from you, I always thought that ticks preferred like more dry conditions.
00:42:53
Jessica
Yeah.
00:43:02
Plant People
I don't know. in my I guess I'm like thinking mites, right? When we think talk about mites, mites like it dry and we have bad mite pressure and like high tunnels and stuff. So I just kind of in my brain was like ticks and mites are the same thing.
00:43:13
Plant People
I know they're not, but like I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah. But they interestingly like more. moist areas or prefer that moisture i guess that makes sense yeah humid areas the woods yeah that makes sense
00:43:21
Jessica
Yeah. Humid. Yeah. Think about the woods. Yeah, woods is where you're going to see them a lot. near Some near ponds.
00:43:29
Plant People
right on the edge of things as jonathan dr jonathan larson who's been a his friend of the pod has been on before and he does this thing where they're on the edge of something and they just put their front legs out and whatever brushes by they latch on to
00:43:38
Jessica
Yes.
00:43:42
Jessica
Yeah, there's like some of them that like do exactly what you just did have their legs out and they're just waiting to grab. And then there's other ones, which I think is Lone Star Tick. Don't quote me for sure. ah But there's two of them that actually like hunt.
00:43:57
Jessica
Like that's technically what they're doing because like they are, they are like seeking out like from like your carbon dioxide that you release and you know, your sweat, different things.
00:43:58
Plant People
Stop. No.
00:44:03
Plant People
Carbon dioxide.
00:44:07
Jessica
And the same things like with mosquitoes, like some people are, you know, mosquitoes are more attracted to others, you know, people than other ones. And that all has to do with just like what you, you're not like you're a stinky person.
00:44:19
Plant People
What you excrete.
00:44:19
Jessica
Right. But just like, right.
00:44:21
Plant People
But like if you are breathing harder, if you're a bigger person, so you're releasing more carbon dioxide.
00:44:23
Jessica
Right.
00:44:26
Plant People
So here's your tip. Always stand, you know, kind of semi close to the person that's bigger than you. And then they'll flock to that person and leave you alone.
00:44:36
Jessica
Good tip for the day. ah
00:44:39
Plant People
That's my friendly tip. And if you are that bigger person, make sure you have more bug spray on.
00:44:46
Plant People
I don't know how to help you on that. Hold your breath. Don't actually don't do that. But
00:44:52
Jessica
hu
00:44:52
Plant People
um
Possums and Ecological Role
00:44:53
Plant People
yeah. Okay. Well, nature danger, a reminder that nature is both beautiful and wonderful. And we're so glad to be ah able to get out in it. But she also she got a little bite to her.
00:45:02
Jessica
Yeah.
00:45:04
Plant People
Okay, literally and figuratively.
00:45:05
Jessica
Right. And they all, I don't know, I guess the ticks, I don't know what purpose ticks have.
00:45:12
Plant People
I have yet to come up with one other than they feed other things and make our lives miserable.
00:45:12
Jessica
But... i
00:45:16
Jessica
Right.
00:45:17
Plant People
i don't, they keep us, it maybe they're the ultimate predator.
00:45:18
Jessica
Like, that's not i like...
00:45:21
Plant People
Maybe like if they don't like what, well, possums, possums eat ticks.
00:45:22
Jessica
Maybe.
00:45:26
Plant People
That's why we like possums, right?
00:45:27
Jessica
Yeah, possums are really cool.
00:45:28
Plant People
Possums eat lots of ticks.
00:45:30
Jessica
Possums don't get rabies and like they're...
00:45:30
Plant People
Do we need to know ge their little marsupials and their little, their little hands get frostbite in the winter.
00:45:34
Jessica
They're they're really cool critters.
00:45:39
Plant People
You know that?
00:45:39
Jessica
They're, they're, no, I didn't, but I know they're just like super cool. And like they're, is it their body temperature is so low? Why they don't get rabies? It's something crazy like that.
00:45:49
Plant People
Rabies. Yeah.
00:45:51
Jessica
Yeah.
00:45:51
Plant People
Yeah. All right. So it sounds like we need to have a possum expert on the horde culture podcast.
00:45:52
Jessica
So I think we do.
00:45:55
Plant People
Okay. Well, this is my task.
00:45:56
Jessica
We can tie it into some plant things. Possums eat.
00:45:59
Plant People
I love it. Yeah. What kind of trees do they like?
00:46:00
Jessica
They're omnivores, right?
00:46:02
Plant People
Yeah. I don't actually know. um I know they like cat food. Other than that, I'm not really sure. Probably some Pop-Tarts.
00:46:07
Jessica
yeah I like to live in my garage sometimes.
00:46:09
Plant People
Yeah, I don't, I actually don't know, but we're going to find out. And if you want to know more, listen, Brett loves possums. So I think if we found somebody, he would, he would squeal.
00:46:18
Jessica
ah we could. be Yeah.
00:46:19
Plant People
He would squeal a little bit. I think so.
00:46:21
Jessica
Yeah.
00:46:21
Plant People
um All right. Noted. Hopefully Brett's not listening to this and it's really a surprise. But if you want to hear about possums, comment. And when you comment and you say yes to possums, you're going to give us five stars so that other people can find our possum podcast, which is a great name for a podcast, possum podcast.
00:46:38
Jessica
Awesome.
00:46:39
Plant People
TM, I claim
00:46:39
Jessica
Awesome
Conclusion and Future Topics
00:46:40
Jessica
possum.
00:46:40
Plant People
it.
00:46:40
Plant People
um But you can also follow us on Instagram at hordeculturepodcast. Shoot us an email. That'll be in the show notes. If you have any questions about things that we talk about, um you know, if you want to know more about the tick research, we can we can send send that along. to Lovely grad students went to every single county in Kentucky and collected ticks as part of her research project and tested them. So bless her, bless them in their in their endeavors. But if you need any information, always feel free to reach out. We are more than happy to help you. And we hope you keep listening and we hope you'll join us again next time. Have great one.