Insects and Us

As we prepare to return once more to our happy home in the forest, let's take into account our six legged friends who are aleady at the Edwards river, waiting for us!

Some of these insects will coexists with us pretty well, however it's worth taking some precuations against some species that may reduce our enjoyment the festival.

Mosquitoes

The Edwards river running throughout the Woorooma site (near Moulamein, NSW) provides ready access for us to take a dip however it is also a source of mosquitoes. As always the sensible mosquito precautions will reduce the chances of becoming their blood bank!

• Avoid mosquito prone areas (especially areas with still water) during times of peak mosquito activity (typically dusk and dawn)
• Clear your sleeping area of mosquitos before you retire for the night. seal your tent or mosquito net, because you don't want to be breakkie!
• Cover up exposed skin - yes that means you, nudey pants! some thin fabrics will not stop mosquitoes from biting, try loose fitting clothes if possible.
• Insect repellant has worked wonders for me, the best results I have had was with repellant containing DEET, like Bushman's brand.
• If you have a reaction to a bite and feel nausea or dizziness or fever, please let first aid know, just to be on the safe side!

It may sound like very obvious measures, however the hassle is worth it because parasites .. suck! boom-tish

Australian Plague Locusts

The Moulamein area has been affected by an outbreak of plague locusts, which at least for me has been a messy inconvenience. Many a Confest vehicle has been smeared with the mustard gunk of high-speed insectoid oblivion... I realise that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but ecch!
Confesters experiencing overheating problems with their cars need pay particular attention to our little Chortoicetes terminifera friends (yeah wikipedia, I'll pretend I already knew that, lol) as an accumulation of squished locusts on radiator grills could in extreme cases smother the radiator enough to harm the engine.

I have been witness to swarms so thick that pulling over still catches a fair number of locusts into my front grille.
So what can be done? let's stop this mess with some mesh!

This is some mesh I installed to the front of my car grille. what it loses in sex appeal it gains in not overheating my engine. Everybody wins, especially if you're not an insect.

This solution is store bought, however you can see that it's mainly comprised of a large patch of mesh held in place with cable ties. The image above will pop up a higher res version if you click on it - I tried not to make the photo too arty, i tried!
As a reference, my car had an 85cm grille, so the width of the mesh patch needed to cover that. The length of half a metre adequately reached from under the bonnet to just under the bumper.

Important Note: Please be aware that any mesh overlay must not obscure your registration plate. it may piss off the police as much as it pisses off locusts.

So yes, please certainly take care with any adjustments to your vehicle and stay on the right side of the law while doing so!
Take care, and I'll see ya at the fire circle!
Bill