Bluebottles pay a visit to Bicheno beach: Everything you need to know about the curious creatures
Beachgoers have discovered streaks of blue on the pure white sands of an East Coast beach this weekend. TOP TIPS TO DEAL WITH BLUEBOTTLES >>
Tasmania
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STREAKS of blue have blotted the pure white sands of an East Coast beach this weekend.
Beachgoer Libby Sutherland told the Mercury Redbill Beach at Bicheno was covered with bluebottles on Sunday morning.
“It didn’t seem to deter the wetsuit-clad surfers or people heading across the isthmus to Diamond Island,” she said.
Biologist and jellyfish expert Dr Lisa-Ann Gershwin said an “armada” – the proper name for a group of bluebottles – would usually wash up after sustained onshore winds.
She said bluebottles could visit any part of the Tasmanian coastline, but were more common on the East Coast.
“They’ve got a massive population that lives out in the Tasman (Sea) and when the winds pick up they drive them towards the beaches,” Dr Gershwin said.
Bluebottles, which are colonies of smaller organisms,have been armedagainst losing entire populations by having different kinds of crests.
Dr Gershwin said some of the crests, or “sails”, could be right-hand or left-hand oriented.
“The wind grabs the ones that have the sail in the correct direction for that wind,” she said.
Dr Gershwin has suffered her fair share of bluebottle stings over the years.
“They generally terrorise the hell out of people but they’re fascinating scientifically,” she said.
The biologist said bluebottles in Tasmania were of low medical consequence, and were unlikely to result in a trip to hospital, but could cause pain for up to 20 minutes.
“It’ll hurt, don’t get me wrong,” she said.
“Children and some adults, including me, will cry, but it’s not going to cause any long-term problems that will threaten your life.”
Dr Gershwin said a very rare species of bluebottle found on the mainland could sometimes inflict life-threatening damage, but she had seen that specimen only once in Tasmanian waters.
“That took me back, but it was very low in numbers and mixed in with normal bluebottles,” she said.
Dr Gershwin’s advice for dealing with a sting was washing it in seawater, then using hot water or ice for the pain.
“Most people forget to do the seawater rinse but it’s really important,” she said.
“Freshwater forces the stinging cells to inject more venom. Seawater rinses away the stinging cells.”
Contrary to popular culture, Dr Gershwin did not recommend urinating on the sting.
She said acidic urine could reduce pain by 25 per cent, but alkaline urine would actually trigger worse suffering.
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