Latest news with #DezeneHuber
CBC
2 days ago
- Health
- CBC
What is swimmer's itch? And how can you treat it?
For many, it's not summer until you've taken a dip in one of B.C.'s glistening lakes, a welcome reprieve from those hot July days. But sometimes, you end up with something not so welcome: itchy red bumps on your skin. Some call it swimmer's itch, some call it duck itch, and for others, it's simply the itch. But what is it, exactly? University of Northern British Columbia zoologist Dezene Huber said that itch — whatever you call it — is caused by a parasitic flatworm. "It's really quite tiny," he told CBC's Daybreak North guest host Bill Fee. "You're not able to really see it very well with your naked eye." That worm begins as an egg in the water, Huber said, and when it hatches, the little larvae swim using little hairs on the sides of their bodies in search of a snail. Once they get into the snail, they reproduce asexually in "vast numbers." From there, the new larvae leave the snail, in search of something larger — any sort of water bird, but usually a duck, Huber said. Once they find a duck, they burrow into the bird's feet and get into its circulatory system en route to its gut. That's where they lay the eggs that are then returned to the water when the duck poops. You may notice humans aren't involved in that life cycle at all. But humans, like ducks, are warm in the water, so sometimes, those little parasites mistake people for ducks. "They're really well adapted to survive in a duck, but they're not well adapted to survive in a human, so as soon as they burrow into the skin of a human, they die just underneath the skin of the human and that causes an allergic reaction," Huber said. "It's basically parasites making mistakes in a fairly complex life cycle." Those itchy red bumps you get are an immune response as your body rejects a parasite trying to get inside you, Huber said. Treatment While these parasites aren't causing long-term harm to humans, that itch can be pretty uncomfortable. According to the province, scratching those bumps can lead to pain and even infection. Fort St. James, B.C., pharmacist Ankur Pipaliya said the best tip for avoiding the itch is to avoid swimming in areas known to be a problem for swimmer's itch.. But, if you do, he said, towel dry or shower immediately after you get out of the water. Showers should be with cold water, Pipaliya said. And then, he said, apply moisturizer. "Dry skin, it promotes that allergic reaction. So if your skin is moist, it kind of helps you from having any irritations." If it's too late and you've already got red, itchy bumps from swimming in the lake, Pipaliya said he usually suggests mild corticosteroid creams to reduce discomfort, along with cold showers and cold compresses on the bumps. He said Epsom salts and baking soda also help, as well as over-the-counter allergy medications like Benadryl. The province also suggests calamine lotion and colloidal oatmeal baths for relief from swimmer's itch. It said symptoms can develop within 12 hours after infection, and can last anywhere from two days to two weeks.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Is this the year of another caterpillargeddon?' People in northern B.C. are spotting more tent caterpillars
In trees, gardens, and even on sidewalks — people across northern B.C. are spotting dark-coloured, fuzzy caterpillars with little spots on their backs and wondering if another tent caterpillar outbreak is on the horizon. From Prince George to Taylor, people are posting pictures of them on social media, asking if this will be the year the insects return in mass numbers. Chad Wiebe works at the Two Rivers Art Gallery in downtown Prince George and he said he's noticed tent caterpillars dangling from the trees that line the sidewalk in front of the building. "They are a little bit creepy when they are just hanging about and they can get in your hair and fall on you." Dodging tent caterpillars as he's heading into work isn't a new experience for Wiebe, who said he's familiar with the population booms that have plagued the city in the past. "Every time they appear, we end up getting a pressure washer to make sure our house is cleared off," he said. The last caterpillar population boom in the region happened during the spring and summer seasons between 2010 and 2014 — when streets, sidewalks, trees and buildings were covered with the insects. The caterpillars feed on deciduous trees, and build silk tents where they live communally, before cocooning and turning into moths in late summer. Dezene Huber, an entomologist at the University of Northern British Columbia, said they often go unnoticed when they first hatch because they're quite small. "As they grow, we start to see them in these clusters, living in these little tents that they make out of silk." Huber said it's natural for tent caterpillars to experience a population explosion every decade or so but when exactly that will happen is not easy to predict as a lot of factors like bad weather and disease can impact a caterpillar's ability to survive. "When the dice rolls the right way usually you get a big boom in caterpillar numbers and then they get knocked back again," he said. "It depends how these various dice roll and sometimes all the right numbers come up and we end up with a big explosion of them for a few years." Tent caterpillars aren't limited to northern B.C. The city of Edmonton is also currently seeing more tent caterpillars this year. WATCH | Tent caterpillars in Edmonton: Huber recently saw a cluster of western tent caterpillars on a rosebush during his walk to work, but he said he isn't sure if this year will be the start of another outbreak in the region. "I think people are noticing them a bit more right now. We might be heading into an outbreak coming up in the next year or so we'll have to see what happens." Huber said even if there is another tent caterpillar outbreak brewing, they are relatively harmless as most trees are able to survive losing their leaves entirely for a year or two. "Everyone sort of loves to hate them," he said. "No one likes having caterpillar poop dripping on them and sliding around the dead caterpillars, but it is a pretty interesting phenomenon to witness."
CBC
01-06-2025
- General
- CBC
'Is this the year of another caterpillargeddon?' People in northern B.C. are spotting more tent caterpillars
In trees, gardens, and even on sidewalks — people across northern B.C. are spotting dark-coloured, fuzzy caterpillars with little spots on their backs and wondering if another tent caterpillar outbreak is on the horizon. From Prince George to Taylor, people are posting pictures of them on social media, asking if this will be the year the insects return in mass numbers. Chad Wiebe works at the Two Rivers Art Gallery in downtown Prince George and he said he's noticed tent caterpillars dangling from the trees that line the sidewalk in front of the building. "They are a little bit creepy when they are just hanging about and they can get in your hair and fall on you." Dodging tent caterpillars as he's heading into work isn't a new experience for Wiebe, who said he's familiar with the population booms that have plagued the city in the past. "Every time they appear, we end up getting a pressure washer to make sure our house is cleared off," he said. The last caterpillar population boom in the region happened during the spring and summer seasons between 2010 and 2014 — when streets, sidewalks, trees and buildings were covered with the insects. The caterpillars feed on deciduous trees, and build silk tents where they live communally, before cocooning and turning into moths in late summer. Dezene Huber, an entomologist at the University of Northern British Columbia, said they often go unnoticed when they first hatch because they're quite small. "As they grow, we start to see them in these clusters, living in these little tents that they make out of silk." Huber said it's natural for tent caterpillars to experience a population explosion every decade or so but when exactly that will happen is not easy to predict as a lot of factors like bad weather and disease can impact a caterpillar's ability to survive. "When the dice rolls the right way usually you get a big boom in caterpillar numbers and then they get knocked back again," he said. "It depends how these various dice roll and sometimes all the right numbers come up and we end up with a big explosion of them for a few years." Tent caterpillars aren't limited to northern B.C. The city of Edmonton is also currently seeing more tent caterpillars this year. WATCH | Tent caterpillars in Edmonton: Tent caterpillars taking over Edmonton 3 days ago Duration 1:43 Huber recently saw a cluster of western tent caterpillars on a rosebush during his walk to work, but he said he isn't sure if this year will be the start of another outbreak in the region. "I think people are noticing them a bit more right now. We might be heading into an outbreak coming up in the next year or so we'll have to see what happens." Huber said even if there is another tent caterpillar outbreak brewing, they are relatively harmless as most trees are able to survive losing their leaves entirely for a year or two. "Everyone sort of loves to hate them," he said. "No one likes having caterpillar poop dripping on them and sliding around the dead caterpillars, but it is a pretty interesting phenomenon to witness."
