Talk:Pests

Insects

Might we consider creating a page about various insects travellers may encounter (ticks, chiggers, mosquitos, bedbugs, lice, spiders, etc.) and move this information there? I'm not sure it's going to support a full article by itself... Texugo (talk) 15:20, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

Very much agree - start with a broad subject, and then sub-divide if/when needed. -- Ryan • (talk) • 15:49, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

Snakes

Coming from Texas, I think the snakes section is a little too careless so far. I have come very close to being bitten by a rattlesnake before, and I don't think it's that terrible uncommon. Texugo (talk) 17:35, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

I was going from my own experience, that the only person in the township where I was living in Malaysia in the 70s who was bitten by a cobra was a woman who peed on one by mistake in the undergrowth. She survived, by the way. But by all means, make the text a little more suitably cautious. Ikan Kekek (talk) 17:45, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

Actually, I edited it. Ikan Kekek (talk) 20:31, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

Wasps

Much like the snake section, the text around Wasps seems to suggest that only people with allergies need to concern wasps and bees. Possibly the author isn't aware of the dangerous wasps in east Asia or deadly bees in south America. We need to be really careful giving advice like this. --Andrewssi2 (talk) 08:35, 8 October 2013 (UTC)

Please edit accordingly. Ikan Kekek (talk) 23:14, 8 October 2013 (UTC)

One page or many?

Should we really have only one article about pests? Mosquitoes are in the process of being merged, making quite a long section. By having everything in one article we more or less force users to print or load all of it to read about the few pests relevant at their destination. What is the advantage?

I think it is much more handy to have one page per pest, given there is enough content to warrant the overhead (stubs should not be separated). Ticks and Mosquitoes are probably long enough for that, and about suitable length; some details could be removed, but some could be added.

--LPfi (talk) 10:35, 17 December 2013 (UTC)

Kinda looks like Mosquitoes should have their own article. Thoughts? 74.102.70.142 21:54, 8 August 2015 (UTC)

I have no strong feelings about that, but keep in mind that mosquitoes redirects to Pests#Mosquitoes, so it's not like people doing a search for information on those nasty little critters won't be able to easily find it on this site. Ikan Kekek (talk) 22:25, 9 August 2015 (UTC)

How to deal with bites

It seems like this article is good on descriptions of things that can bite you, but low on remediation for them.

On Talk:Iya_Valley somebody has placed some (I believe) incorrect advice to 'squeeze out' as much of the venom as possible, whereas most advice from the Internet (not a reliable doctor, but there seems to be consensus between the main results) for Wasps is that the the first thing to do is remove the stinger if you can. Try to squeeze out venom before doing this may cause the stinger to release more vemon.

Additionally, none of the main advise actually appears to recommend squeezing out the venom at all. It doesn't seem to help.

Would anyone disagree with this? Andrewssi2 (talk) 23:48, 5 August 2014 (UTC)

A first aid group over here use sugar cubes to extract the venom. I have no idea whether this is more generally established or recommended practice. Wasps do not normally leave the stinger (or am I mistaken about what insects are categorized as such?), as they need it, but bees will. They have a quite impressive venom container attached, so it should definitively be removed without squeezing. Treatment with hydrocortisone or similar could be suggested. --LPfi (talk) 21:15, 26 June 2017 (UTC)

Concern ; What's DEET?

DEET is mentioned here briefly, but there's not much information about what it is and how the traveller should use it. ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 18:33, 26 June 2017 (UTC)

w:DEET is a common ingredient in insect repellents, reportedly quite effective. Pashley (talk) 19:13, 26 June 2017 (UTC)

@Pashley: Thanks for the heads up about Consumer Reports here. Yes, we test insect repellents, insect resistant clothing, and similar products. I need to sort Wikivoyage and sunscreen, then let me sort English Wikipedia and insect repellent, then I will come here to do something. This is a holiday season in the United States so I need a couple of weeks to sort this. Thanks for the tip. Blue Rasberry (talk) 20:35, 30 June 2017 (UTC)

We have a section Pests#Permethrin-treated_fabrics. Should we also have one for insect repellents? Those are actually more common, I think.

Or perhaps put those & maybe other things, like sprays that claim to keep dogs away, on a separate page? Pashley (talk) 21:07, 30 June 2017 (UTC)

Yes, there should be a section on repellents here, covering DEET, w:Icaridin, and potentially things like w:Citronella oil. --El Grafo (talk) 13:41, 16 October 2023 (UTC)

FTR: done, moved content from insects section to a new repellents section. Could use some TLC, though. El Grafo (talk) 08:17, 20 October 2023 (UTC)

Removing leeches

Folklore has it that pulling leeches off can leave the head behind causing infection. We mention something like this at Pests#Leeches, but have we got it right? It is also often claimed that covering them with salt will make them drop off immediately; e.g. that is done in the film African Queen. Is that correct? If so, we should mention it. Pashley (talk) 12:26, 16 October 2023 (UTC)

@Doc James:? Pashley (talk) 12:41, 18 October 2023 (UTC)

User:Pashley not aware of anything special to remove. Just scrap off the skin with a credit card and simple pull off. Travel Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 21:03, 18 October 2023 (UTC)

Structure of the article

I think the article could use some restructuring. Currently it's like this:

Prepare
Animals
  Ants
  Bedbugs
  ...
  Scorpions
Permethrin-treated fabrics

I'd like to get rid of the "Animals" as top level (kind of pointless as the whole article is about animal pests monly), promote things like birds to top level, and group everything with more than 4 legs under Arthropods. Permethrin-treated fabrics and a to-be-written section on DEET and the like would go there too under a joint subheading for repellents:

Prepare
Arthropods
   Repellents
     Sprays and ointments (DEET, Icaridin, etc.)
     Permethrin-treated fabrics
   Ants
   Bedbugs
   ...
   Scorpions
Birds
Jellyfish
Leeches
Rodents
Ringworm
Snakes

What do you think? El Grafo (talk) 09:26, 18 October 2023 (UTC)

Good idea, but I'd have:

Arthropods

Repellents

Permethrin-treated fabrics

Ants

Bedbugs

...

Permethrin is an insecticide not a repellent Pashley (talk) 11:01, 18 October 2023 (UTC)

Give it a try. /Yvwv (talk) 11:40, 18 October 2023 (UTC)

Ouch, you're right! I'll also get rid of the (empty) ringworm section, as that is a fungal infection (see w:Dermatophytosis). Roundworms, tapeworms and the like are covered in Infectious diseases. El Grafo (talk) 12:36, 18 October 2023 (UTC)

Done. There's some more cleanup work to be done across the article, but I think this is an improvement. El Grafo (talk) 08:18, 20 October 2023 (UTC)

Banner

I'm just noticing that our banner appears to show a honey bee peacefully doing its business. They may on occasion turn onto a bit of a pest in certain areas (especially the "africanized" ones), but globally speaking, honey bees are certainly among the most useful insects. Forget about the honey, their services a pollinators are essential for many of the fruits and vegetables we eat. For some reason many people seem to think "bee" whenever a yellowjacket tries to steal some of their ice cream, so they get an undeservedly bad reputation.

I'll try to dig up some alternative images at some point, but if somebody else feels like poking around Commons a bit, please don't hold back. El Grafo (talk) 14:25, 20 October 2023 (UTC)

Surprisingly difficult. File:Vers de farine.jpg might work. I'll keep looking ... El Grafo (talk) 09:36, 3 November 2023 (UTC)

Please don't. Looks to disgusting. /Yvwv (talk) 15:50, 3 November 2023 (UTC)

Indeed. For this article we need to thread a fine line: a banner that suggests pests but is still visually attractive and doesn't horrify the reader. One option is a banner depicting some kind of pest prevention (netting? citronella candles?) instead of the pests themselves – that's the approach currently used in the Malaria banner. —Granger (talk · contribs) 16:18, 3 November 2023 (UTC)

The Malaria banner is a good pick, and could be used for this banner as well if not already in use. /Yvwv (talk) 16:24, 3 November 2023 (UTC)

Fair enough. I've been poking around c:Category:Pest control for a while now, but most images of things like fumigation just won't work in the banner format. Maybe File:Food Addiction (3316432769).jpg could work if we extend the background sideways a bit? File:WV banner pests candidate 02.jpg El Grafo (talk) 08:18, 6 November 2023 (UTC)

Or something like this: File:WV banner pests candidate 01.jpg? El Grafo (talk) 08:32, 6 November 2023 (UTC)

Banner options

Putting up some options here, please don't hesitate to add more. --El Grafo (talk) 10:52, 6 November 2023 (UTC)

banner 0: not actually a pest (quite the opposite)

banner 1: rat warning in NYC subway

banner 2: mouse trap

banner 3: wasp eating a pear

banner 4: a bunch of mealworms - a food pest, but commonly used as food for humans and animals

• My preferences in order are 2, 3, 1 and then very distantly 0. Unpopular opinion, but I actually like your original proposed banner. --SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 11:26, 6 November 2023 (UTC)
  • Thanks, SHB2000, I've added that as option 4 now - I'd try a few if they were served to me fried crispy. --El Grafo (talk) 13:22, 6 November 2023 (UTC)

I prefer any of 1, 2 or 3. /Yvwv (talk) 13:23, 6 November 2023 (UTC)

My favourite is now the fourth one. --SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 20:39, 6 November 2023 (UTC)

• 1 is my favorite. —Granger (talk · contribs) 14:05, 6 November 2023 (UTC)

I like the rat warning. The mouse trap is a somewhat distant 2nd. Ikan Kekek (talk) 16:10, 6 November 2023 (UTC)

I agree, might add the wasp as third. Definitely not the revolting worms or current banner. Pashley (talk) 16:17, 6 November 2023 (UTC)

True, wasps eating a pear are pests. Ikan Kekek (talk) 19:50, 6 November 2023 (UTC)

• 2, 1, 4. Ground Zero (talk) 02:53, 21 November 2023 (UTC)

banner 1: "rat warning" in NYC subway

banner 1b: rat poison warning in NYC subway

• @Ground Zero, Pashley, Ikan Kekek, Mx. Granger, SHB2000, Yvwv: Thanks for your thoughts so far. It seems clear that 0, 3, and 4 are out. Out ot the remaining two, option 1 seems to have a bit of an edge, especially when I add my own voice (I like the idea of #2, but the plain red background is a bit too much, imho). I'm having second thoughts about the specific crop I choice for option 1, though, so I've uploaded an alternative:
  • Option 1 is the cleaner looking one and it contains a hint on geographical context, but it misrepresents what the warning sign is actually about.
  • Option 1b looks a bit busier, but it retains the original warning, adding an additional layer to the underlying message: Human interaction.

I think 1b sends the stronger message: Pests are not something that just exist and you stay away from. There is a lot of interaction between humans and nature, where often pests can only exist as such because we create the conditions for them to thrive. Then we try to fix the problem, which creates new problems, and so on (think e.g. cane toad). 1b does not explain all of that, but it subtly hints at the fact that there are no pests without humans. What do you think? --El Grafo (talk) 08:44, 21 November 2023 (UTC)

• 1 and 1b are equally good to me. Ikan Kekek (talk) 09:25, 21 November 2023 (UTC)

  I prefer 1b. --SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 09:37, 21 November 2023 (UTC)

• I prefer 2 for its simplicity and humour. I prefer 1b over 1 (a) for the clearer message, and (b) for an article about pests around the world, I think it us better not to have a specific (American) geographic reference. Ground Zero (talk) 11:03, 21 November 2023 (UTC)

Thanks everyone for your contributions! It seems like 1b is a relatively clear winner, so I've gone ahead and replaced the old bee banner with that one. Should someone come up with better idea later: please don't hesitate to start another round of discussion! --El Grafo (talk) 14:38, 15 December 2023 (UTC)