Oh man thats just way to cool,,,,,wonder how much those people make an hour ??

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Ken
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan

From what I was told not much... the larvae extraction is even a lesser job than shoe shining, although it's a mix between a minor surgery and bursting a blister, to give you a good example if you ever suffered from juvenile acne

The patient tells the larvae technician where did s/he see it last, the technician starts looking for it pressing and feeling the surrounding area. When he finds it he "conducts" the larvae to an area of thinner skin, where he encapsulates it with his fingers, makes a tiny incision with a razor, and "pops" it out.
This is all very fast and done with an incredible mastery. Seems that you could bleed to death if you tried to remove one yourself because those buggers are hard to catch!

Now the amazing thing for me is how this is "institutionalized". If I ever saw a larvae move under my skin, I would run around shouting like if my hair was on fire =) and these people just make a mental note to visit the larvae guy. Then, when a man you never seen before starts fondling a part of your body looking for a larvae, they just read the newspaper and make small talk about the weather or soccer! =) They don't even care when this complete stranger cuts them with a razor nor they care if the razor is disinfected.

I guess they trust the man won't kill them or cut some part of their body off. It would be bad for business, wouldn't it? =)

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Wish list: Blue Tongue Skinks and Uruplatus =)

Okay Folks, that definately killed my appetite! (so much for finishing THAT snack!) LOL

Steve

Ok....and I thought hearing a story about head lice was bad....this one really takes the prize.

Elephantitis is also caused by a parasite... it infests the lymph glands and causes painful swelling. This parasite is generally injected into the body in larval stages via a mosquito bite.

OH... my husband said not to let your new "pets" free roam!

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~~Steph

"This I believe: That the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world." John Steinbeck

I E-mailed my story and a pic to an entomologist from the University of Florida, and he identified my mystery bugs. They are Bot fly pupae.

Bot flies! Those are some nasty insects, let me tell you that. There are various species, but they lay their eggs on wounds, where the larvae burrow in and eat the host from the inside out, then they emerge, pupate, and become adult flies. Yummy. The ones that infested that rat were most likely rodent bot flies, Cuterebra fontinella. Raisins anyone?

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+5 bonus points to whoever finds me a job!

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

If you just ate, don't search google for bot flies! I mean it!

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Wish list: Blue Tongue Skinks and Uruplatus =)

So, Ssativa, now that you know what they are, what are you going to do with them?

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~~Steph

"This I believe: That the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world." John Steinbeck

(Loud screaming applause) Thank you Thank you....yes the Lyn Meister said Bot Fly muahahahahahahaha..... Lyn

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Warmest Regards from Lyn