Australia includes the wild, the weird, and the wonderful. However, it also has a secret bad side, not known to every tourist. Australia includes the most venomous snakes, the freakiest spiders, and the most disgusting lizard on earth.
Compared to lots of the continent's wildlife, land leeches are barely annoying. But nobody would enjoy seeing a leech inside their shoe, and that is why I am writing this post.
Before we begin, you need to know what exactly an Australian land leech is.
An Australian land leech is an animal that moves like a caterpillar, is as slimy as a snail, and for short, has the appearance of a very small lamprey. The color is very dark brown, almost black with some telltale streaks of orange running from its mouth.
Land leeches are usually active only in damp conditions, but don't let that information fool you. I have had leeches on my shoes even in very dry conditions.
Land leeches only drain a few drops of blood and you may not notice that any leech has been sucking your blood at all, but a lot of the time you do notice, and it looks really disgusting (Believe me, I screamed when I first had a leech sucking me).
Before learning how to get rid of land leeches, you must know how to prevent one from biting you. Here are the ways:
1. Avoid where they are. Basically, avoid where it is damp. This includes temperate rainforests, valleys close to the sea, swamps, marshes, and other muddy areas. Another place they are always found is on unclear trails.
2. Take routes where they are not. Land leeches hate boardwalks, metal stairs and well trodden trails. They also hate places with thin tree canopies and dry soil.
3. Spray insect repellent on your shoes. You can get it at many Australian stores. It is mainly used against mosquitoes, but it works against land leeches as well. However, do not trust insect repellent completely. I had a leech attack once when my shoes were sprayed with repellent. However, they exhibited weird behavior, not biting but writhing in agony.
4. Do not walk right after rain as this is when land leeches are active. My first big leech attack happened after days of terrible weather. To be safe, walk in sunlight.
5. The popularity. Once we were taking a rainforest hike and got attacked by leeches near the dry picnic area at the very end. As we figured out later, because there was not very much wildlife in the area, the leeches' chosen prey was people.
Here are the ways to get rid of Australian land leeches when they are sucking your blood! However, there are pros and cons to each one, as listed below:
1. Pick them off.
Pros: The quickest and cleanest way of getting a land leech off your foot. The most foolproof way. Grab the leech as close to the skin as possible.
Cons: Looks disgusting. Leech may hold on very tight. Possible that leech might get on your fingers. The cut also bleeds a lot and itches.
2. Pour salt on them.
Pros: Almost foolproof for getting leech off.
Cons: Only for last resort as leech bleeds terribly.
3. Wait until it stops sucking.
Pros: You do not have to do anything. The healthiest and easiest way.
Cons: Terrible wet feeling. Blood all over your sock. Can take an hour.
To wrap it up, here are questions about Australian land leeches answered!
Q: How much blood do leeches drain?
A: Land leeches can drain everything from a drop to 30 to 40 millilitres! Not much more, though.
Q: What is worse, a leech or a tick?
A: Ticks suck longer, hurt much more, and are harder to get off.
Q: How scared should tourists be of land leeches?
A: It should not stop you doing anything. Leeches are easy to avoid and get rid of.
Compared to lots of the continent's wildlife, land leeches are barely annoying. But nobody would enjoy seeing a leech inside their shoe, and that is why I am writing this post.
Before we begin, you need to know what exactly an Australian land leech is.
An Australian land leech is an animal that moves like a caterpillar, is as slimy as a snail, and for short, has the appearance of a very small lamprey. The color is very dark brown, almost black with some telltale streaks of orange running from its mouth.
Land leeches are usually active only in damp conditions, but don't let that information fool you. I have had leeches on my shoes even in very dry conditions.
Land leeches only drain a few drops of blood and you may not notice that any leech has been sucking your blood at all, but a lot of the time you do notice, and it looks really disgusting (Believe me, I screamed when I first had a leech sucking me).
Before learning how to get rid of land leeches, you must know how to prevent one from biting you. Here are the ways:
1. Avoid where they are. Basically, avoid where it is damp. This includes temperate rainforests, valleys close to the sea, swamps, marshes, and other muddy areas. Another place they are always found is on unclear trails.
2. Take routes where they are not. Land leeches hate boardwalks, metal stairs and well trodden trails. They also hate places with thin tree canopies and dry soil.
3. Spray insect repellent on your shoes. You can get it at many Australian stores. It is mainly used against mosquitoes, but it works against land leeches as well. However, do not trust insect repellent completely. I had a leech attack once when my shoes were sprayed with repellent. However, they exhibited weird behavior, not biting but writhing in agony.
4. Do not walk right after rain as this is when land leeches are active. My first big leech attack happened after days of terrible weather. To be safe, walk in sunlight.
5. The popularity. Once we were taking a rainforest hike and got attacked by leeches near the dry picnic area at the very end. As we figured out later, because there was not very much wildlife in the area, the leeches' chosen prey was people.
Here are the ways to get rid of Australian land leeches when they are sucking your blood! However, there are pros and cons to each one, as listed below:
1. Pick them off.
Pros: The quickest and cleanest way of getting a land leech off your foot. The most foolproof way. Grab the leech as close to the skin as possible.
Cons: Looks disgusting. Leech may hold on very tight. Possible that leech might get on your fingers. The cut also bleeds a lot and itches.
2. Pour salt on them.
Pros: Almost foolproof for getting leech off.
Cons: Only for last resort as leech bleeds terribly.
3. Wait until it stops sucking.
Pros: You do not have to do anything. The healthiest and easiest way.
Cons: Terrible wet feeling. Blood all over your sock. Can take an hour.
To wrap it up, here are questions about Australian land leeches answered!
Q: How much blood do leeches drain?
A: Land leeches can drain everything from a drop to 30 to 40 millilitres! Not much more, though.
Q: What is worse, a leech or a tick?
A: Ticks suck longer, hurt much more, and are harder to get off.
Q: How scared should tourists be of land leeches?
A: It should not stop you doing anything. Leeches are easy to avoid and get rid of.
Great! Thanks for the info! You know they are still used in medicine today. Bloodletting was a common practice in early medicine to treat many ailments. And I do not think they pose risks of disease such as Lyme. Or do they? I would rather steer clear. I was freak out if I saw one I am sure!
ReplyDeleteyes, they are yucky and disgusting for sure! They actually do not transmit diseases, so they are not a real danger or anything, just very gross. The wounds they leave, take a while to heal though (from my own experience)
ReplyDelete