St. Paul Resident Attacked by State Bird of Minnesota!

[MineralMan]

It happened this morning in a relatively unknown neighborhood in St. Paul. While walking a dog with his wife, an elderly gentleman was viciously attacked by a flock of Minnesota's state birds. Bitten several times on the backs of both elbows while observing his leashed dog perform a natural function, the man was seen half a block later scratching energetically, to the point of drawing blood from one of the wounds.

Local entomologists identified the attackers as vicious tiger mosquitoes, a threat to all residents, who are advised to wear long-sleeved shirts while exercising their pets. Application of 1% cortisone cream to the bites and avoiding excessive scratching is advised.

[CentralMass]

1. :-)

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. They got an old lady in Minneapolis, too.

Why aren't the media on top of this??

[MineralMan]

10. Hurts tourism. That's my guess.

LOL!

[Cracklin Charlie]

3. We got some bad Minnesota state birds in Missouri this year.

[guillaumeb]

4. Nice title.

The state animal in Florida is the palmetto bug.

[B Calm]

8. I thought it was the Love Bug.

[yallerdawg]

5. Put on some "deet" formula before you all take the dog out!

I know, I know - it's the Republican plan for Zika prevention - but if you're not planning on more children, your wife can still go with you!

[MineralMan]

11. Having a child at our ages would be miraculous,

I'm sure.

[B Calm]

6. I know from past fishing trips in Northern Minnesota to

get the hell off the lake about a half an hour before sunset. You'll see them coming like a low flying black cloud straight for your boat.

[Wellstone ruled]

7. Middle of August in Minny.

State bird(mosquitoes)start to gather,State Fair is coming in a few day,and their ready supply of nourishment will be in a confined a confined area. Yummy.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. The attackers of the elderly man in St. Paul

would not have been the tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, just to be technical, since that beast is not found in Minnesota. Most likely he was attacked and sucked dry by Aedes vexans.

[MineralMan]

13. Ah. That'll teach me not to trust out-of-state

entomologists.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

14. The go-to guy for Minnesota bugs

is Jeff Hahn at the U. He's totally the Insect God.

[Agnosticsherbet]

12. In Oklahoma Mosquitoes that commonly sat atop fence posts sharpening their proboscis with brick bats

before they attack.

People in Minnesota should invest in personal anti-aircraft weapons to knock them out of the air before they strike.

[MineralMan]

15. Update: Benadryl,

combined with the cortisone cream has stopped the itching.

Uff da, indeed. It could even be an Ish da! event.

[Brickbat]

16. If it gets to fy da, call your doctor.

[MineralMan]

17. LOL! I'll do that, if it comes to that.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

18. Try the hot spoon treatment.

Run a spoon under hot water for awhile, then hold it on the bite. It won't be hot enough to cause injury but it's hot enough to break down the proteins in the bite and prevent it from swelling up and itching. That's the theory, anyhow. It usually works.

[MineralMan]

19. That does work. Anything that increases local circulation promotes dissipation of the allergens.

It's really a minor thing, posted for the humor in it. Just mosquito bites.

[B Calm]

22. Will that work on fly bites too?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

23. Don't know - might be worth a try.

[Warpy]

26. Benadryl and cortisone will knock down anything short of

anaphylactic shock. People who don't like feeling drowsy on Benadryl can use the lotion. It doesn't work quite as well IMO, but it does work and is probably better for kids.

One thing that keeps me clinging to the desert is NO BUGS. I can sit outside and watch a glorious sunset after a thunderstorm and not get bitten to death. Cockroaches the size of mice and the occasional scorpion are what we get here, instead.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

20. It wasn't a flock of Michelle Bachmans?

[MineralMan]

21. Nope. She's the state bird-brain.

[Thor_MN]

24. With the rain we have had, it looks like it's time to start wearing life jackets when outdoors

just in case the mosquitoes drop you over open water.

[Generic Brad]

25. Which neighborhood?

I want to avoid those loons.

Usually when I see a flock of geese hissing and sticking their heads out I raise my arms in the shape of a triangle over my head and they reluctantly scatter. Wild turkeys - I give a wide berth and never challenge their territory (I once witnessed a former co-worker get mauled by a wild tom). Loons - no idea how to get around them. I have never had the misfortune of encountering any of them on land.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

27. That's what people get for failing to clean up after their dogs

From this Alfred Hitchcock movie, notice the horrified girls looking down at dog dung, which will spread disease. What is Minnesota's state bird?