Gardening Safety

[grollies]

The reason for posting this is threefold.

 

1) Got some nasty ant bites on lower legs about a month ago that needed treating with antibiotics.

 

2) Found a Malaysian Pit Viper yesterday curled up by a plant pot under some cuttings wifey left lying round the previous day.

 

3) Just got stung by a scorpion whilst weeding the boarders. It <deleted> hurt.

 

So tips:

 

Wear trousers/jeans, socks and wellies when clearing weeds, walking through undergrowth, amongst rubber, etc. (usually do this but went out in crocs, no socks a few weeks back whilst feeding bananas).

 

Wear gloves when pulling weeds.

 

Have a good prod round in long grass.

 

Don't leave stuff lying round that snakes my shelter under.

 

Keep tetnus jabs up to date.

 

Keep antihistamines handy.

 

Anyone else got any safety tips?

 

 

[Jai Dee]

After having several close calls with venomous snakes over the years, I usually spray the area I'm going to be working in with a strong surface insecticide like Chaindrite and leave it for an hour or so.

 

Ants and other undesirable insects will die or move out and snakes will also move away from the area.

 

I regularly spray inside my pool pump house for that very reason... it is dry, dark, and cool inside... and snakes love it.

[grollies]

22 minutes ago, Jai Dee said:

After having several close calls with venomous snakes over the years, I usually spray the area I'm going to be working in with a strong surface insecticide like Chaindrite and leave it for an hour or so.

 

Ants and other undesirable insects will die or move out and snakes will also move away from the area.

 

I regularly spray inside my pool pump house for that very reason... it is dry, dark, and cool inside... and snakes love it.

That's useful advice Jai Dee, thanks.

[cooked]

I work outside most of the time. Flip flops and shorts. Like Thais, I just automatically expect there to be scorpions, rats or snakes under or near anything I move, none of this 'walk like a man' stuff, my head stays down. Five years like that and never had worse than ant bites. In fact never a day without ant bites when I come to think of it. Our three year old walks through the grass barefoot.

Venomous snakes go away if they can, even cobras will leave you alone if they can.

I think I got less bites, but much worse ones, working in Switzerland than I have suffered here. (wasps, bees, horse flies, ticks and dogs).

[grollies]

5 minutes ago, cooked said:

I work outside most of the time. Flip flops and shorts. Like Thais, I just automatically expect there to be scorpions, rats or snakes under or near anything I move, none of this 'walk like a man' stuff, my head stays down. Five years like that and never had worse than ant bites. In fact never a day without ant bites when I come to think of it. Our three year old walks through the grass barefoot.

Venomous snakes go away if they can, even cobras will leave you alone if they can.

I think I got less bites, but much worse ones, working in Switzerland than I have suffered here. (wasps, bees, horse flies, ticks and dogs).

That snake wouldn't move, even when poked with a stick, just went round the pot and went back to sleep. Caught it and moved to fields behind us.

 

Being aware is right though, I am wary of moving stuff first before going hands in - just didn't pay enough attention this time. 

[Hutch68]

Be careful messing with those vipers grolls. Keep the grass down as short as you can and burn all piles of garden waste. Our dogs usually sniff the snakes out before I come across them.


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[grollies]

16 hours ago, Hutch68 said:

Be careful messing with those vipers grolls. Keep the grass down as short as you can and burn all piles of garden waste. Our dogs usually sniff the snakes out before I come across them.


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Wifey had an encounter with another viper last night whilst out locking up hens.

 

That's my mantra for working in the rubber, ''keep the grass short and the trousers long''.

[akirasan]

I found the best way to remove scorpions is by scraping them into a long handled dustpan with a garden hoe.  Once captured keep the dustpan tilted at around a 45 degree angle and they can't climb out or go anywhere. 

[grollies]

Scorpions usually run off. I was just stupid and put my hand in a bunch of weeds to pull out.

 

The basic advice I've had is that non-venomous snakes will keep out of your way, whereas venomous snakes will just sit around.

 

All the snakes I've seen round the house have legged it when you get close apart from the two vipers in the last two days.

 

So, another tip is does the local hospital carry anti-venom? Check.

 

Oh, and @cooked, don't forget to look up too, lots of wasps in mango trees, teak, rubber. Wasp stings I can handle, ant bites I seem to react to and quite often get infected.

[akirasan]

Just now, grollies said:

The basic advice I've had is that non-venomous snakes will keep out of your way, whereas venomous snakes will just sit around.

 

All the snakes I've seen round the house have legged it when you get close apart from the two vipers in the last two days.

Sometimes but not always.  Two of the most difficult snakes I had to catch were an adult tiger snake and an adult dugite (both very venomous) because they just wanted to getaway and are move very quickly.  If the weather is cold or they've just eaten they're more inactive.  Maybe vipers and cobras are different but I was talking to another snake handler and he said the psychology is the same in that their flight response is strong.

[Jai Dee]

I also react to ant bites... particularly those tiny little red fire ants.

I end up with groups of swollen red spots that develop a blister on the top. They hurt, itch, and last up to a week.

Scratching can cause the bites to become infected, in which case they may last longer.

Applying a cool compress or ice can soothe the itching and reduce the swelling but the reaction still happens.

 

[soalbundy]

If they like you it's OK,they end up living with you,here our house spider 'Goliath'

[sandrabbit]

In our garden in Rayong we mostly get oriental rat snakes & red necked keelbacks, the rat snakes always make a fast getaway but the keelbacks don't seem to care about people. We always know when there's a snake in the garden as the mynah birds (Thais call them buffalo birds) make a hell of a racket and follow the snakes around the garden, I was surprised how close they follow the snakes on the ground and sometimes even the sparrows get in on the act.

 

Those red ants are evil and seem to regard the mango trees as their property but for something small the bite don't half hurt!.

[ThaiWai]

New guidelines:

1. Pay someone 100 baht to do your gardening.

2. Open beer.

3. If you hear screaming or "weewah weewah" open second beer.

[sandrabbit]

5 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

If they like you it's OK,they end up living with you,here our house spider 'Goliath'

They're a bit delicate though, I accidentally killed one closing a window - I cut it in half ..........

[ThaiWai]

"Keep antihistamines handy."

 

What's this for? In case the Malayan (not Malaysian) Pit Viper that kills you has a sinus issue?

[Slain]

Blimey, sounds like a nature reserve..Keep aligator's in the swimming pool?

[djayz]

37 minutes ago, ThaiWai said:

New guidelines:

1. Pay someone 100 baht to do your gardening.

2. Open beer.

3. If you hear screaming or "weewah weewah" open second beer.

Good advice ThaiWai, but for us avid gardeners it's all about doing it ourselves, getting our hands dirty and then at the end of a long, hot day opening a cold beer and looking out at what we have accomplished during the course of the day/week/year. 

Everybody has his/her own version of paradise ?

[Jai Dee]

1 minute ago, djayz said:

Good advice ThaiWai, but for us avid gardeners it's all about doing it ourselves, getting our hands dirty and then at the end of a long, hot day opening a cold beer and looking out at what we have accomplished during the course of the day/week/year. 

Everybody has his/her own version of paradise ?

I just gotta earn that cold beer.

[djayz]

48 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

If they like you it's OK,they end up living with you,here our house spider 'Goliath'

What kind of a spider is that one? A huntsman? 

[soalbundy]

Just now, djayz said:

What kind of a spider is that one? A huntsman? 

No idea, i posted a question on TV but nobody has answered, we leave it alone and he leaves us alone, we call him Goliath but he doesn't come when called

[Jai Dee]

4 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

No idea, i posted a question on TV but nobody has answered, we leave it alone and he leaves us alone, we call him Goliath but he doesn't come when called

I did... check your topic.

[grollies]

51 minutes ago, ThaiWai said:

"Keep antihistamines handy."

 

What's this for? In case the Malayan (not Malaysian) Pit Viper that kills you has a sinus issue?

Wasp stings ThaiWai, wasp stings.

[djayz]

12 minutes ago, Jai Dee said:

I just gotta earn that cold beer.

Me too... I work like a madman all day in the scorching sun and come 4:30-5pm it's time to pack the tools away, wash up and crack open a big, ice cold Beer Chang and just wallow in the fact that I did something useful that day. 

In the space of a year/year and a half I turned our neglected house and garden into a place that now looks like human beings actually live there.

Still a lot more to do, but finally I'm happy with what I've achived so far. 

[Jai Dee]

4 minutes ago, grollies said:

Wasp stings ThaiWai, wasp stings.

... and ant bites. 

[grollies]

58 minutes ago, ThaiWai said:

 

 

What's this for? In case the Malayan (not Malaysian) Pit Viper that kills you has a sinus issue?

 

 

I do beg your pardon, you are of course quite right, Malayan Pit Viper, not 'Malaysian'.

[grollies]

6 minutes ago, djayz said:

Me too... I work like a madman all day in the scorching sun and come 4:30-5pm it's time to pack the tools away, wash up and crack open a big, ice cold Beer Chang and just wallow in the fact that I did something useful that day. 

In the space of a year/year and a half I turned our neglected house and garden into a place that now looks like human beings actually live there.

Still a lot more to do, but finally I'm happy with what I've achived so far. 

Ditto

[NoshowJones]

2 hours ago, Jai Dee said:

I also react to ant bites... particularly those tiny little red fire ants.

I end up with groups of swollen red spots that develop a blister on the top. They hurt, itch, and last up to a week.

Scratching can cause the bites to become infected, in which case they may last longer.

Applying a cool compress or ice can soothe the itching and reduce the swelling but the reaction still happens.

 

Jai Dee, where do you get Chaindrite, and is it harmful to dogs and cats?

[Jai Dee]

Just now, possum1931 said:

Jai Dee, where do you get Chaindrite, and is it harmful to dogs and cats?

 

I usually get mine from Makro, but most grocery stores have it too.

Tesco Lotus, BigC, etc. all carry it.

Chaindrite_1.pdf

I have attached the MSDS for the product... I would hazard a guess as to say that it is very harmful to pets.

It is very toxic and I am very careful to be upwind of it when spraying so not to breathe any fumes or get it in my eyes.

A thorough wash of the hands after use is also advisable.

The most obvious effect of its toxicity is the number of dead cockroaches you find in the vicinity the following day.

 

[grollies]

8 minutes ago, Jai Dee said:

 

I usually get mine from Makro, but most grocery stores have it too.

Tesco Lotus, BigC, etc. all carry it.

Chaindrite_1.pdf

I have attached the MSDS for the product... I would hazard a guess as to say that it is very harmful to pets.

It is very toxic and I am very careful to be upwind of it when spraying so not to breathe any fumes or get it in my eyes.

A thorough wash of the hands after use is also advisable.

The most obvious effect of its toxicity is the number of dead cockroaches you find in the vicinity the following day.

 

Steady on chaps, this is the 'organic' forum. :-)

 

Not sure I'd be spraying this all over the garden. In the house/kitchen fair dooos.