I swear this really wasn't my intention, but I dunno--I'm a bit obsessed with these critters. I mentioned them here just last weekend. Yesterday, Josh over at Thoughts from Kansas blogged more about botflies, linking a video that had been passed around the Panda's Thumb email list (and that even grossed out "Parasite Rex" author Carl Zimmer). Josh also has a bit of background on the flies and, well, more nasty stories to boot.
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Lots of changes here at Scienceblogs today. The editors of Seed magazine give the lowdown at Stochastic:
Welcome to the new ScienceBlogs! Beginning today, you'll notice a newly designed homepage (built from your feedback) at scienceblogs.com and the addition of 25 new blogs to our network.
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We…
When you hear SciBlings mention "our Seed Overlords", they are talking about Ginny, our new Commander-in-Chief and Royal Cat-herder. At the Science Blogging Conference three weeks ago, she herded (almost) 20 of us in Real Life to take the famous group photo.
Welcome to A Blog Around The Clock.…
As all the new folks settle in, I want to draw particular attention to a few of them. This should not be taken as a comment on any blogs I don't mention, but merely as a boost to the ones I've already been a fan of in their previous homes or have some connection with. The others I am eager to get…
Well, I am back from the Science Blogging Conference, exhilarated and exhausted! After months of preparation, and last few days of frantic last-minute work, the Big Day has come and I could finally relax and enjoy myself. And enjoy it I did! I hope the others did as well.
First order of duty:…
As horrifying as botflies are, they're really one of the best parasites to get. You get to disgust your friends, amaze your doctor, tell great stories about it later, and there are no lasting effects.
There's a sort of macho, cowboy ethic among tropical biologists; they treasure their disgusting parasite experiences the way that a war veteran treasures his medals. The really cool kids are the ones who let the critters grow until they come out on their own to pupate. I once worked for a guy who did that. He let the thing grow to maturity in his cheek.
(Yes, his cheek. If you think that's gross, you should have been there when he tried the "meat cure", where you seal a piece of meat over the bot and the larva supposedly crawls out into the meat. Suffice it to say that this guy was wandering around in tropical heat for three days with a piece of bacon taped to his face.)
Manual trackback. For some reason, trackbacks just don't work me on Moveable Type blogs.
What's That Mosquito Bite Growing On My Leg?
The squirrels in our backyard (central NC) sport large botfly warbles every summer. A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to examine some up close, after I shot a squirrel that kept chewing on the siding of our house. The squirming larvae were clearly visible through the opening of the warbles. It was definitely the most disgusting thing I have ever seen.
I thought about digging one out and preserving it, but they were so horrible, I just couldn't do it. Some things really are living nightmares.