Battle of the Bugs

by Thomas R. Fasulo
Entomologist and Civil War Reenactor
(or is it Civil War Reenactor and then Entomologist?)
37th Iowa Volunteer Infantry

As I write this (September 2001) there are currently thirty-four counties in Florida under medical alert by the Florida Department of Health. This is due to the presence of one or more mosquito-transmitted viruses in those counties. There have been four confirmed cases of West Nile virus and three confirmed cases of eastern equine encephalitis [EEE] in Florida. One such case of EEE resulted in the death of a nine-year old boy. You can read the Florida Department of Health press releases concerning this events from links available though the Florida Pest Alert Web at http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/pestalert/.

Recommendations for avoiding mosquito bites include staying indoors between the hours of dusk and dawn. This is difficult to do when you are a Civil War reenactor at an event. Fortunately, in Florida we have few events during the summer months, and the medical alert will be reduced as cooler weather follows the calendar's transition to winter. However, we still have events in Florida that allow mosquitoes the opportunity to dine on reenactors. This is why I advocate the use of repellents for reenactors going into the field. Of all the repellents, DEET is the most effective, but it has resulted in some adverse reactions when misused. Fortunately, there are alternative, non-pesticidal repellents for those who don't wish to apply this DEET. A number of these safer alternatives are based on natural substances and offer the same amount of protection, but not for the same length of time. EPA suggestions for using DEET properly and some possible alternatives are also linked from the above Pest Alert site.

An excellent article in the Annals of Internal Medicine - " Mosquitoes and Mosquito Repellents: A Clinician's Guide," discusses DEET, its safe use, toxicity, several alternative repellents and Permethrin. The latter section is very important for those reenactors also concerned with tick and mite bites. In addition, the article explodes several myths regarding other materials that supposedly are effective in repelling mosquitoes.

Also on the Pest Alert site is an article providing some information on non-DEET alternative repellents and how mosquitoes choose whom to bite. One interesting fact concerning mosquito biting preferences is that they are attracted to darker clothing. This is bad news if you wear a dark blue Federal coat, and good news if you wear Confederate gray. And for some reason, mosquitoes like people who have recently eaten a banana. I am not joking here, but if you'd like to read a more humorous article on Battling the Bugs, see my "B-1 Those Critters Away!" on the Battle of Olustee site at http://battleofolustee.org/related/b-1.htm.

Lastly, for those who are interested, I suggest reading the chapters on Pests and Public Health, Mosquitoes, Mites and Ticks, and Venomous Arthropods, just four of the nine chapters of the National Public Health Pest Control Manual at http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/fasulo/vector/. Dr. David Dame, a retired Public Health entomologist, and I were funded by the USDA to rewrite the old manual and it has been peer-reviewed by public health entomologists national-wide. If you read the chapter on Mosquitoes, I suggest skipping to the section on Control, which is more suitable for general audiences.

We have enough to worry about at reenactments without also worrying about being infected with a mosquito-borne or tick-borne virus. I strongly suggest that you forget any notions about being perceived as a "farb" and bring a repellent.

However, I would like to comment on the red imported fire ant. Reenactors often ask me what they should do if they take a "hit" during a battle and fall onto a red imported fire ant mound. My reply is always the same — nothing. This species of fire ant only arrived in the United States during 1933-1945. Therefore, if you fall onto a mound during a reenatactment and hurriedly get up to move elsewhere, then are are advertising the fact that you are not authentic, as the fire ants were here during the Civil War. So just stay where you are. You will impress the other reenators with your authentic impression!

Thomas R. Fasulo portrays a Union or Confederate infantry private at Civil War reenactments and living histories. For his day job he is an Extension Entomologist for the University of Florida and develops training software on fleas, termites, cockroaches, mole crickets, whiteflies, etc.

To access hundreds of extension publications dealing with insects, see the WWW site for the Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida.

Battle of Olustee home page
http://battleofolustee.org/