Photo By Keith Hayes | Arthur Basulto, U.S. Park Ranger, Bureau of Land Management, Department of the...... read more read more
The warm summer months are quickly approaching, which means expect all things native to the Mojave Desert that creeps, crawls, and flies, to start appearing in more abundance aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif.
“The main thing is right now the snakes are out. The most common types of snakes are the Sidewinder, Western Diamondback and Mojave Green rattlers, California King snakes, gopher snakes, red racers and rat snakes,” said Eric Fortin, pest control technician with Installation and Logistics Department aboard MCLBB.
“Don’t go picking up a pallet, or a bundle of wood without first looking inside. Watch where you put your hands and where you step,” he said.
“Since we had a good rain this year expect to see a lot of baby snakes out as well because the rodent population is increasing, and that’s the main prey for the Mojave Green, Sidewinder and Western Diamondback rattlesnakes common to this part of the high desert,” he said.
Evan Schmidt, a pest control technician who works with Fortin, said he realizes that most people have a kill on sight policy with all snakes, but he urges people to just stay away from them.
“If you see a ‘branch’ or ‘log’ on the ground, don’t step over or on it, just go around, because it might be a snake, and contact pest control to deal with them,” Schmidt said.
“We catch rattlesnakes at the Desert View housing area every year, but the last Mojave Green was a couple of years ago,” Fortin said.
Snakes are like most any other creatures; they are not looking for trouble, Fortin said. “Mostly they’ll stay away from you. They may rattle to warn you off. They may even dry bite because they’re not going to eat you so they don’t want to waste the venom because then they have to make more.”
Despite their fearsome appearance and reputation, Fortin reminds people that as with most creatures, snakes have a good side to them. “All snakes, even rattlers, are beneficial to the environment so if you see one, maybe in the Desert View housing area, or you see anything that might be dangerous, don’t approach, just call the I&L trouble desk at (760) 577- 6220 and we’ll come out and take care of it,” he said.
Flying and crawling insects are also more active during the warm months because they hibernate during the winter months, then come out, especially when there has been a lot of rain just like this year, Fortin said.
“The most dangerous insect we have in the high desert is the Black Widow spider, and to a lesser extent the Brown Widow spider. Their venom is dangerous and could be fatal to a person depending on their age, medical condition or just their particular system.
“Since the anti-venom for a Black Widow can only be administered once in a person’s life, the usual procedure is to hospitalize the victim and observe them. If the venom shows signs of being life threatening, then the anti-venom will be administered,” Fortin explained.
“All venomous bites have a necrotizing effect on skin, meaning the flesh will slough off the bone around the bite area, but people will survive,” he added.
Despite the Hollywood hype about big, dangerous looking tarantulas, Fortin said they are the least venomous of all spiders and make great pets. “The type of tarantula usually found in the high desert is seldom seen except during migration time, and even then only in small amounts.”
“The Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion is probably the scariest looking insect you’ll see around here. They can grow to be five and half inches long, but their venom is not very toxic; about that of a honeybee sting,” Fortin said.
Bobcats are also a common desert sight and could potentially be dangerous to humans, but they have not been seen aboard base in quite a while.
Fortin cautioned people once again to be aware of your surroundings and use common sense. “If you can’t see inside something before you go to pick it up, you’re asking for trouble. Stay away from piles of debris on the ground unless you know there are no snakes or dangerous insects in them. If you see something, say something, and call pest control at 6220 and we’ll come right over.
| Date Taken: | 05.11.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 05.11.2017 12:48 |
| Story ID: | 233476 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 102 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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