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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
 Posted - 07/31/2007 : 5:11:45 PM
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This is from Doug & Sandy McMaster's web site. I found it quite interesting, but I must tell you, I would have a heart attack if a centipede bit me. It just makes my skin crawl thinking about it. I do not like bugs. Yuck! Now, a home remedy for bug bites that I use is to mix Adolph's Meat Tenderizer with a small bit of water to make a paste and dab it on the bite. It will fix you up in a hurry because it contains papain, an enzyme from papayas that breaks down the venom from a bug bite. Can also use those protein remover drops for contact lenses. It is made of the same thing. For itchy can take benadryl tab, crush it with a wee few drops of water and dab that on the itchy thing.
Plus... I sure as heck wouldn't take the dad-blamed thing outside unless it was to compost the buggah. Ka-powie.
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Biggest one we ever encountered was 12 inches long... yikes! Not an estimate either. It came walking across the living room rug... and we captured it in a box to take it outside. It walked along the inner edge and stretched the whole side of this box. After releasing it into the wilds of the hedgeline, we measured the box. 12 inches exactly. Wow! Why did we release it... well, it must've been a granddad or grandmom of centipedes and quite magnificent although prehistoric looking.
Usually much smaller 4-6". One day a fellow from Australia was helping with yard work, pulling out some banana plants that had gotten a little too aggressive. When he pulled out the base, there was a centipede nest... seemed like thousands of the little buggahs crawling all over his shoes (at least he had boots on). He looked up at our probably horrified faces and said 'No worries, mate!'.
There is another centipede too... it's very small in comparison... iridescent blue/green... actually quite pretty. Their bite is equally painful though. I've heard they hurt worse. Since the remedy worked for me, I didn't have to find out.
Okay, here's the remedy...
Use hottest water or liquid you can stand... almost scalding... either run over bite or apply compresses repeatedly for several minutes until the pain of the sting subsides. You may have a welt and a bit of itchiness for awhile but won't suffer the pain. Don't know why the guide books don't provide this information. Most of them jokingly say you just need to get drunk for a few days. I'm very grateful to the doctor that told me the remedy because he saved me from a whole lot of pain having been bit once by the iridescent one and then only two days later three bites by the one caught in my dress.
Why does the hot liquid or just heat work? Pure science... the heat transforms the protein in the venom... literally cooks it.
Once while camping, I was bit in the side (the pede had crawled up under my shirt). It was about 4" long... the brown kind. It was the middle of the night and I was walking into the restroom. It stung like a bee and then started hurting worse and worse. It subsided to a tolerable level after a week but stinging sensation remained for a month or longer. The welt lasted six months. I didn't know the secret remedy then.
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Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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