Wild Cincinnati: Animals, Reptiles, Insects, and Plants to Watch Out for at Home, at the Park, and in the Woods

Some of the animals Bachleda features include coyotes, cockroaches, bees, lice, hornets, bed bugs, and Northern copperheads.

Bachleda also includes some prominent diseases such as histoplasmosis, encephalitis, Rocky mountain spotted fever, lume disease, plague, malaria, scabies, and more.

Excerpts

True Bugs

So what’s a true bug? An old VW? Actually, entomologists (those people that Gary Larson regularly skewered in his Far Side cartoons as half-wits) really do have an order called “true bugs,” or Hemiptera, which means “half wing.” True bugs have forewings called hemelytra, leathery thick in the front, and transparent and membranous in the back. Another way to identify true bugs is by the way they fold their wings flat over their bodies, making an X-shape. They have sucking beaks to slurp juices, but most feed on plants. Another common trait is that most true bugs also have glands that dispatch a foul odor, e.g., the green stink bug. Most are terrestrial, but some are aquatic and can literally walk on water.

The insects we’re concerned with here are in the assassin bug family (Reduviidae). They bite you in defense or in search of a blood meal. Assassin bugs are named for the way they attack and “stab” victims, which is actually a bite. Cincinnati has its share of assassins, notably “Bed Bugs.”

If You Are Bitten By a Bug

Wash the bite with soap and water.
Apply topical relief such as Benadryl ointment, and/or
Take Benadryl orally if a stronger reaction such as increased swelling occurs.
Bug bites are not known for producing anaphylactic shock, but it’s always a good idea to monitor reactions of any encounter for the first hour or two.

Bed Bugs (Cimex lectularius)
Bed bugs bite. They have been implicated as but not proven to be disease carriers.
They can be found throughout the U.S. and have in recent years been a substantial problem in Cincinnati.
They are only .2 inches long.
Flat and reddish brown to purplish, They have short legs and stubby (vestigial) wings.
They can be found in human dwellings, especially bedrooms, in all socioeconomic classes.
Each feeding bug makes several punctures. As the bugs’ salivary fluid is not immediately irritating, their bites can go unnoticed for a period of time.
After feeding, the nymphs and adults hide to be out of harm’s way and can survive up to 15 months without food.

Bloodsucking Conenose (Triatoma sanguisuga)
Bites can cause severe allergic reactions.
These are found from New Hampshire south to Florida and west as far as Texas.
They are .5 to .75 inches long.
They are black to dark brown with yellow-red markings (six spots).
They are found in small animal nests and may invade houses.
They feed on bed bugs, humans, and other mammals. Also known as the “Mexican Bed Bug” or the “Big Bed Bug.”

Wheel Bug (Arilus cristatus)
The wheel bug can “stab” when handled. Its bite usually is more severe than a bee sting, and both nymphs and adults should be avoided or handled with caution.
It has been reported from Rhode Island westward through Iowa and Nebraska to California, and southward to Texas and Florida.
It is 1 to 1.25 inches.
The adult is black to grayish-brown. Nymph is deep red with black markings. The name derives from the semicircular arrangement of 8 to 12 tubercles (small, knoblike projections) resembling half a wheel.
It is found in meadows and fields with crops.
The perceived “stab” is actually a bite.

These two critters are so commonly found around human dwellings that they bear mentioning. Odds are good that if you have these nighttime ramblers poking about your environs, you’ll have no safety issues if you don’t engage or threaten them.

Of course, the opossum is the one that looks like the biggest rat you have ever seen. They’re roughly the size of house cats and top out at about 15 pounds. Opossums are primitive animals that date back to the dinosaur age, which is remarkable because they are notoriously dimwitted. But, hey, survival of the species is the bottom line, and they are great at it even if they also have a high mortality rate at all stages of life and only live for about three years. What makes us interested in them is that they have 50 sharp teeth, more than any other mammal. When they are threatened, sometimes they feign death by “playing possum,” a proven defense even against the jaws of a Siberian husky inside a fenced yard.

However, the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals describes this vivid alternative opossum behavior: “More often, it tries to bluff its attacker by hissing, screeching, salivating, opening its mouth wide to show all of its 50 teeth, and sometimes excreting a greenish substance.” It can also emit smelly stuff from its anal glands. So, if you find a possum in your garage ransacking your pet food (they eat just about anything, which is why they continue to thrive), don’t get in there and start whacking away with the broom, trying to corner or to capture it. The very fine book, Living with Wildlife: How to Enjoy, Cope with, and Protect North America’s Wild Creatures Around Your Home and Theirs, recommends that you “use bright lights, make loud noises by banging pans, rustling paper, opening/closing doors, or playing radios; and/or squirting water to frighten them away.” After the opossum leaves, take better care to store your edibles more securely. Another potential troubling situation might arise with a female who is trying to defend her young, so fully assess any situation to the best of your ability.

Raccoons, of course, are the masked bandits who are quite, quite clever, as well as exceptionally dexterous. They can grow to more than three feet in length and weigh up to almost 50 pounds. Television ads that show them entering a house by turning the doorknob and then opening the refrigerator to raid for snacks before flopping on the sofa are not that far-fetched. According to Living with Wildlife, if you find a raccoon in your house, close the doors to other rooms and open all the windows and doors you can to give the raccoon an easy exit. Don’t try to lure it out with food, as this will reinforce the food association that might prompt the raccoon to return.

Alarmed and anxious raccoons can cause extensive damage. If the animal doesn’t leave in a reasonable amount of time, then call the local wildlife authorities. Don’t try to handle the animal yourself. Raccoons are strong, and they have sharp teeth and claws. Warning signs of an aggressive raccoon include growling, snarling, hissing, a lowered head with flattened ears, bared teeth, and bushed-out neck and shoulder fur. (You probably could’ve guessed that, right?)

Raccoons are formidable, and most predators know that to engage one can mean a losing fight to the death. A raccoon, for example, can dispatch a single dog, which is probably why coon hunters use packs of dogs in their pursuit. Raccoons, however, are not normally aggressive animals unless they are cornered, mating, or with young. They do carry a roundworm, Baylisascaris procyonis, in their dung. While not harmful to the raccoon, this organism is potentially very injurious to other mammals, including humans. For this reason, and also because the raccoon is a rabies carrier, it is unwise to entice these admittedly charming creatures with food.

Thwarting Opossums and Raccoons
Do not leave pet food or trash outdoors at night.
Pick fruit and garden crops when they are ripe, and do not leave rotten fruit or crops on the ground.
Eliminate brush piles, dilapidated buildings, and holes under concrete slabs.
Raccoons, opossums, and skunks (!) will easily enter a house through the pet door, so secure them at night.

For more solutions to various scenarios involving these backyard buddies, consult Living with Wildlife: How to Enjoy, Cope with, and Protect North America’s Wild Creatures Around Your Home and Theirs by the California Center for Wildlife with Diana Landau and Shelley Stump.

Opossum Virginia opossum
The opossum can bite if cornered.
Up to 40 inches in length, including a 10 to 20 inch prehensile, hairless tail. Weighs up to 14 pounds.
About the size of a house cat, the opossum has silvery “grizzled” hairs covering black hairs below. Its pinkish nose is long and pointed.
This marsupial, unique to North America, has no comparable cousin.
Omnivorous, the opossum eats insects, small mammals, bird eggs, grain, fruit, and carrion.
Opossum litters, produced two or three times a year, are comprised of tiny young with up to 14 members—each about the size of a honeybee.
Opossums are found in suburban areas, farmlands, and forests, usually near water.
They are generally not aggressive but will defend themselves if cornered. They are nocturnal and solitary, and they are often killed on the highway as they attempt to feed.

Common Raccoon Procyon lotor
The raccoon can bite if cornered. Because the animal can be a carrier of rabies, the bite is potentially fatal.
It is common throughout the lower 48 states, with the exception pockets of the Rockies and pockets of the southwestern U.S.
Up to 37 inches in length, including a tail of 8 to 16 inches.
The raccoon is distinguished by its black mask and black-ringed tail on a grayish-brown body. It has a pointed snout.
The raccoon’s omnivorous diet includes grain, nuts, berries, rodents, insects, crayfish, bird eggs, and carrion.
One litter per year of usually four young are delivered in the spring.
The raccoon is highly adapted in suburban areas, and is also found near water in forests, bottom lands, and in rocky outcroppings.
Nocturnal, curious, and extremely dexterous, the raccoon is not aggressive but will fight ferociously if cornered or to defend itself.