Leeches Suck!

Leeches Suck!                                        By Tony Frazer

It’s a beautiful day by your lake or pond and the cool waters entice you in for a swim. The water is cool, clear and refreshing. You float on your back looking to the sky and think “This is the life”. You swim to shore, dry off and you see what looks like a leaf stuck to your foot. But it’s not a leaf. It’s a LEECH! AHHHHHHH!

Leeches can conjure up a severe case of the heebie jeebies, but are rarely cause for alarm.

Leeches are segmented worms that belong to the phylum Annelida and comprise the subclass Hirudinea. Leeches are hermaphrodites containing both male and female reproductive organs. Oh yeah they also feed on blood. AHHHHHH!

If you have leeches it’s not the end of the world. Leeches can be controlled naturally by stocking predatory feeders like Bass and Bluegill. They can also be removed by making your own coffee can trap. Take a coffee can and poke some holes with a nail or screwdriver in the lid and sides. Weight it down with some rocks and put some raw meat inside. Tie a string to your trap and sink it in your pond. The Leeches will come to feed on the raw meat. Check your trap daily, remove and destroy leeches. Re-bait and reset your trap. Keep trapping till the numbers dwindle to zero.

Now back to the opening scenario, you have a leech on your foot. After feeding, the leech will detach and depart, which may be anywhere from 20 minutes to two hours or more. Ewww. Let’s get that sucker off. Unlike the movies, cigars and salt are not the preferred method. These will cause the leech to quickly detach; however, it will also regurgitate its stomach contents into the wound. The vomit may carry disease, and thus increase the risk of infection. Yuck! The recommended method of removal is using a fingernail or other flat, blunt object to break the seal of the oral sucker and detaching its jaws. Then flick the leech away and do your best Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonation. “Hasta la vista….leech!”

After removal, clean the wound with soap and water, then bandage. Bleeding may continue for some time, due to the anticoagulant in the leech's saliva. Bleeding time will vary, with location, from a few hours to three days. Applying pressure can reduce bleeding, although blood loss from a single bite is not dangerous. The wound normally itches as it heals, but should not be scratched, as this may complicate healing and introduce other infections. An antihistamine will reduce itching, and applying a cold pack can reduce pain or swelling.

Some people can suffer severe allergic reactions from leech bites that require urgent medical care. Symptoms include red blotches or an itchy rash over the entire body, swelling around the lips or eyes, feeling faint or dizzy, and difficulty breathing.

Don’t let leeches suck the enjoyment out of your pond. A good management plan can keep them in check.

 

*A big Thank You!  to Aquatic Specialist Tony Frazer for this week's blog post! 

~The Frogger Blogger