I Just Got Asked If...

[theCryptofishist]

... there were lice and bedbugs at burningman. I indicated that I wasn't sure, but that I thought the environment was pretty harsh and they probably weren't.

[ygmir]

if there are no lice or bedbugs, then there must not be norovirus or std's either.

[theCryptofishist]

? I don't know how you get that. A virus is in a nicely protected human envelope.

[some seeing eye]

CF, glad to see ya back!

I have to agree with Mr Y.

Lice are in a nicely protected human envelope and bedbugs are in a nicely human-transported, bedding and furniture envelope. But death or worse serious injury, also travels in a BRC envelope.

Is playadust hair a remedy for lice? Test it and make millions! Same for playdusting your bed, carpet, clothing and furniture!

TL:DR Are you afraid of (curable) bedbugs and lice at BM? Be more worried about incurable dying! (And usual STD and involuntary dosing precautions, BM is the real [festival] world, not unicorn rainbow world!)

[ygmir]

doubting that bedbugs or lice would be crawling on the playa, or endemic, yes. But, very easily present in bedding, furniture, dreadlocks, etc out there. I'd say it's very possible to find and acquire both. Lice are a little more delicate if not nits, but bedbugs are very tough.

[some seeing eye]

I've never seen a dreadlock at BM. Don't spread fear!!

[Popeye]

Well, diatomaceous earth kills bed bugs and maybe lice and cockroaches. They mine that stuff in Fernley and Lovelock.
There is only one way to know for sure. Any volunteers?

[ygmir]

seems Rhino did a pretty comprehensive study of playa dust, and it's components. I don't remember diatomacious earth, of course, that does not mean I just forgot. I'll see if I can find it, or, if he chimes in?

[BBadger]

There are hippies everywhere at Burning Man. Of course there are lice and bedbugs! Those burn barrels are for burning infested clothing!

That's why I soak my tent and clothing in permethrin and DDT before attending the event. You just don't know how far those stowaways on stowaways may travel.

[maladroit]

Bedbugs are durable but not invulnerable. 100% of bugs and eggs will die if exposed to 120F for 2 hours. So the inside of your car or tent on an especially hot day will likely kill any bedbugs.

[trilobyte]

I've never experienced them out there (at least that I know of), but I've got to imagine those things are out there. A bit more specifically, there are only what people bring out there with them. Bedbugs, lice, fleas, and other critters that live on people or the skanky mattresses and furniture they bring with them are a possibility. A person could also get bedbugs or fleas from the furniture in a hotel/motel room, so be careful of staying someplace skanky because of the rate, or just because you'll only be there the one night.

None of those things can survive out there without people and the junk they bring with them, and I have no idea how long any of them would survive in that environment. My guess is the critters on a person would probably continue to survive on their host, but the stuff living on a nasty couch or mattress would depend on stuff like whether it's in the sun or shade and other factors.

[Savannah]

I do get spooked by those playa couches.

. . . And I don't care how nice the hotel is, I don't touch the bedspread. They don't wash those every time.

[Token]

There was a scabies thing many burns ago.

Folks pick up curbside couches, dorm throw-away junk (Stanford dumpster diving is the bees-knees, lots of good stuff at the end of the quarter), and the hoards of summer festival hippie tour crowd.

Lots of Bay Area refuse somehow winds up on the playa.

Shit-Cock at your own risk.

[lucky420]

I do get spooked by those playa couches.

. . . And I don't care how nice the hotel is, I don't touch the bedspread. They don't wash those every time.

Yes, I always pull back the bedding to expose the mattress to check for the leetle black/brown bugs...no matter the digs because nice places can be icky too

[BBadger]

Bedbugs are durable but not invulnerable. 100% of bugs and eggs will die if exposed to 120F for 2 hours. So the inside of your car or tent on an especially hot day will likely kill any bedbugs.

Yeah, but your tent and gear is usually on the playa, ideally under shade, for the duration of the trip, and then in your air conditioned car (if not on your person) for the ride home. Also, even in the sun your vehicle will have cooler areas where pests could survive, especially within fabrics.

You have to stay vigilant and keep those Pig-Pen hippies and their funky furniture away from your shit!

Still, maybe this will present an opportunity to spread rumors. Maybe a video "Oh the parasites you'll bring home!" with some girl wearing a bed bug covered tail, and some people complaining about having to pay for fumigating their entire apartment complex.

[Jackass]

Close-up shots of people in itchy scratchy mode, raking their backs against some sharp metal sculptures and proclaiming just how good that feels....

[mudpuppy000]

I do get spooked by those playa couches.

. . . And I don't care how nice the hotel is, I don't touch the bedspread. They don't wash those every time.

Yes, I always pull back the bedding to expose the mattress to check for the leetle black/brown bugs...no matter the digs because nice places can be icky too

Yeah, they probably have some black widows lurking underneath too if they've been outside any length of time.

[trilobyte]

Oh the places you'll scratch?

[Lonesomebri]

Already submitted the application for a theme camp this year, but this thread is giving me some great ideas for cheap all inclusive immediacy activities.

[Meat Hunter]

With all the lice, fleas, bed bugs and other bite 'n stinging insects &, spider infestations; reptilian critters that crawl into your shoes, tiny-tiny shrimp that will infect even the smallest scratch, hurricane force winds, freezing cold at night and burning heat during the day, blinding dust storms (that will fill your sleeping bag full of alkaline dust even while you are sleeping) and mat your hair forever; potential for flash floods and foot, hand & crotch rot -- For the life of me, I cannot see why anyone in their right mind would ever want to go to the worst place in the whole world - even for a moment.

[Simon of the Playa]

i blame the furries.

[Captain Goddammit]

I do get spooked by those playa couches.

. . . And I don't care how nice the hotel is, I don't touch the bedspread. They don't wash those every time.

Part of why the Land Yacht has an onboard Rainbow vacuum AND gets blown out daily with compressed air!
BRC is a tough place to keep a clean tour boat.

[ZigZag]

itching.jpg

[theCryptofishist]

Already submitted the application for a theme camp this year, but this thread is giving me some great ideas for cheap all inclusive immediacy activities.

Ah, this is one of those primate-to-primate pick-your-own-dinner type deals, isn't it?