Desert Hiking - Insect Hazards

Poisonous insects are actually a greater hazard than rattlesnakes. The small, straw-colored desert scorpion likes to lurk under rocks and logs, and can give a sting that is life threatening to children. Black widow spiders, identifiable by the red hourglass-shaped mark on the underside, can inflict a dangerous bite. The brown spider inflicts a bite that may cause extensive tissue damage at the site, but is not generally life threatening. These bites seem minor at first but may become very painful after several hours. There is no specific field treatment; transport young children to a hospital as soon as possible. The dangerous-looking centipede can produce a painful bite and irritate skin with its sharp, clawed feet, but is not life threatening.

Avoid scorpions, spiders, and centipedes by not placing your hands and feet where you cannot see. Kick over rocks or logs before moving them with your hands. Don't unpack your sleeping bag before you need it. Always shake out clothing and footwear before putting them on.

Kissing bugs, also known as conenose bugs, are obnoxious insects that live in rodent nests and feed on mammal blood at night, leaving a large, itchy welt on the victim. They are not a problem during the cooler months, but during the warmer half of the year, they give desert backpackers one more reason to sleep in a fully closed net tent.

Ticks occur rarely in the desert. Do a careful full-body search every day if you see ticks. It is important to remove embedded ticks before they have a chance to transmit disease, which takes a day or more.

Other insects such as bees, velvet ants, and wasps give painful but nonthreatening stings. The exception is for people who have a known allergic reaction to specific insect stings. Since the reaction can develop rapidly and be life threatening, such people should carry insect sting kits prescribed by their doctors.

A new hazard has recently appeared in the Southwest, the Africanized bee or killer bee. These honeybees were accidentally introduced into Brazil in the 1950s and have since spread north to Texas and Arizona. They're expected to continue spreading across the warmer deserts. Because of their tropical origins, Africanized bees are sensitive to cold and will not likely become numerous in higher desert mountains and plateaus. It is possible that a hiker could encounter Africanized bees in lower desert areas. Popularly known as killer bees, they have been responsible for about 1,000 human deaths in the Western Hemisphere but only a few deaths in the United States. The hazard to a person who is allergic to bee stings is obvious. However, every documented fatal case in the Western Hemisphere has involved an allergic individual or someone who was infirm or otherwise unable to escape. I have yet to hear of any serious encounters between Africanized bees and hikers. Although the Africanized bee's venom is no more toxic than the common European honeybees, they are more aggressive in defending their hives and will sometimes swarm or chase an intruder.

European honeybees cause about 100 deaths per year in the United Sates.

Avoid all beehives. This includes cultivated bees, which may be a mixture of both types. Cultivated beehives are stacks of white boxes always found near roads. Wild bees build hives in rock crevices, holes in trees, and other protected places. Always avoid swarming bees. If attacked, protect your eyes and run away (drop your pack if necessary). Do not swat the bees; Africanized bees react aggresively. If shelter such as a tent, car, or building is available, use it. Africanized bees apparently don't pursue more than half a mile.

Many scary-looking desert insects are not dangerous. Millipedes, whip scorpions, Jerusalem crickets, sun spiders, and tarantulas are examples of ferocious-looking creatures that are not a threat to humans.