English

Welcome to the land of surfing wild boar. Yes, this famous surfing hog was swimming on our lake - Jeziorak. 

The wild boar /hog is mascot from Wieprz village (wieprz = hog). You can read the full story on the newspaper: https://gazetaolsztynska.pl/ilawa/674586,Dzik-z-Wieprza-plywa-po-Jezioraku.html

The largest city on the lake is Iława. And this is where we are based. In Poland, of course.

Visit us on our facebook profile where you can find many photos from our forests: https://www.facebook.com/Ilawski (Iława /Jeziorak Forest Guide)

We are also a manufaturer of a repellent against deer ked (Lipoptena cervi).

These so-called deer keds  (in Latin, Lipoptena cervi) are insects . The Asian deer ked (Lipoptena fortisetosa), which is a bit smaller, is also common in our forests. Perhaps when you first visited the place where they occur, you were surprised what persistent insect it was. They do not create flying swarms, as mosquitoes often attack one by one. In wilder forests, it can be up to about 100 individuals per minute. In Poland, in the thickets woods more eagerly visited by animals, it is rather a dozen or so. It may be that in the event of an attack, we instinctively grab a measure against ticks and mosquitoes and spray ourselves additionally. However, it turns out that the repellant does not work. Even agents with a 50% concentration of DEET do not scare them, they sit on the hands that are still wet from this preparation. Why?

The deer ked differs from the mosquito in that it does not circulate around its prey, but flies, out of grass or trees, blindly to something that resembles a typical prey (elk, roe or deer). Man is not their host, so they land on us and sometimes bite by mistake. Apparently, they are attracted to black and red. To help them avoid making a mistake, we can wear white. However, according to studies, it may work for half the time. Our practice shows, however, that color does not matter here, and these insects do not have the ability to distinguish colors, which may be indicated by eye examinations. Many of them sit on white. When they sit down, they start looking for a place on the victim's body. When they fail to notice that they are not on the right victim, they throw off their wings. They don't attack at night. Most in Poland are infected with bartonella, but there is no research on whether they can cause bartonellosis in humans. And that's what research shows so far.

In 1975, research on deterring these insects was carried out in Belarus. Due to the fact that these insects were suspected of causing eczema. The tests were organized in forests full of their natural host, the elk. It turned out that mature specimens attack people from trees within 50 meters. In case of lower temperatures, they take off from the grass within a range of 15 meters. Younger specimens do not fly in search of hosts, but wait for them in the vegetation, like ticks. All available preparations to scare the deer ked away were tried. Without any consequences. The result of the research was a recommendation for forest workers to wear long boots, pants and shirts that tightly cover the body, as well as scarves and hoods.

In turn, research in Finland shows that deer keds are more likely to attack the upper body and most often the back. Come on, in our experience, in the case of nearby forests, the insects have no preference for sitting on the back of the human body. As for the fact that they land on the hottest parts of the human body, we can agree. They surely target exposed parts of the body more often than those covered with clothes.

After landing, the hair clipper remains stationary for a few seconds and then begins a fast march towards the right place. It does not respond to shaking the part of the body it is sitting on, and trying to simply shake it with your hand may not work. Due to the fact that it is flat. Crushing on the body will not do anything, it is also tough. He doesn't throw away his wings right away. It can search for a place for up to an hour, which gives us time to get rid of it.

According to our research, wearing white does not completely prevent attacks. However, when they sit on us, of course, you can see them more clearly and you can easily shake them off your clothes. It is worth wearing a smooth, synthetic fabric, e.g. polyester. They are worse on cotton, due to the hooks on the limbs.

Deer keds are usually much larger than ticks, therefore when they walk on us you can feel it much more clearly. They also move much faster than ticks. And, therefore, they are easier to track down and throw away.

It sometimes happens that we get bitten by this insect. The bite mark is not very visible, at least at first. Just such a lump. However, after a few days, a hard red stain forms at the site of the bite. So swelling. The place may itch for a long time. The trace may persist for several weeks and sometimes even remains for several months. Often residual, in the area of ​​inflamed veins. In the case of a deer ked, the more often a person is bitten, the worse the skin reacts to it. That is why these insects are such a big problem for people working in forests. Several types of inflammatory reactions have been found after the bite.

Due to the fact that the deer flies are flat, they can easily reach even the most inaccessible places, but we know from practice that when landing in the ears, they look for a different place. Probably more hairy. Hook-shaped legs are used to cling to the hair. On animals, they feed 15-20 times a day. They are active from June to November.

In the summer of 2020, we started research on how to discourage the deer ked from people. The problem with flying ticks is that they are not affected by any repellent. When entering their area, they sit on the skin that is still wet after spraying with DEET or any other available repellent. They attack people on the basis of shape and movement. Even human figures hidden behind a sheet of transparent plastic.

Thanks to our research and field experiments, we are getting to know the preference of deer keds more and more and we have found an effective way to make them less annoying for forest tourists.

The preparation developed by is on market since 2021. 

If you want to spend time in the forest without brushing off the shears, avoid places with wild animals. Animals avoid places where a lot of people hang out, as long as we do not leave food or open garbage cans there. Where there are no deer, elk, wild boars, etc. there are also no deer keds. On the more frequented paths, they are unlikely to attack. However, if you go deeper into the forest, make sure that your body is tightly covered - long pants, sleeves, a hat, a wrap around your neck. If it lands on your body, it won't bite you right away, so you don't necessarily need to sweat with gloves or wear a mosquito net over your face.

You can see how it works on video below ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UDDVNWWFOk )