Land features and insect bites Castlemaine Vic

Hi, many times I've come across snaking mounds around the sides of hills. They look like they're hand dug. I'm assuming they're something to do with water and maybe keeping it off the lower areas where miners were digging. I don't really know. On a different note. I got whacked hard twice on the back of the head out near Castlemaine by an insect that was obviously territorial. I've spent a lot of time in the bush and the March flies normally buzz around and land and look for a place to bite but this was an instant bite, something different. Bloody hurt and raised bumps but the pain subsided after about an hr. Thought a wasp but it was only one. Any ideas?

Gold Mbr2020 said:

Thought a wasp

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Yep, probably a paper wasp.

Gold Mbr2020 said:

snaking mounds around the sides of hills.

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Do you mean small drains/channels around the sides of hills? Usually to collect water and deliver to a point where they washed/processed the gravels. Might be wrong, someone please correct me if I am

Sounds like what you are discribing could be a water race. As Northeast suggest they were used to capture water and directing the flow to a place to wash and process gravels.
Recently we were detecting around Gapstrad and the March flies were very agressive biting bare skin and through clothing..

Did

Northeast said:

Yep, probably a paper wasp.


Do you mean small drains/channels around the sides of hills? Usually to collect water and deliver to a point where they washed/processed the gravels. Might be wrong, someone please correct me if I am

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Maybe, been stung by paper wasps before and have grown up with them in Qld. And the lot of them usually get into you not just one. This was only 1 and bigger and blacker and chased me for 20m as I ran.. lol. Hat, headphones, glasses went and i was aeroguarded and it nailed me twice. Freaked out a bit actually. Better than bloody snakes tho. Still haven't come across one. Touch wood.

Gold Mbr2020 said:

Hi, many times I've come across snaking mounds around the sides of hills. They look like they're hand dug. I'm assuming they're something to do with water and maybe keeping it off the lower areas where miners were digging. I don't really know. On a different note. I got whacked hard twice on the back of the head out near Castlemaine by an insect that was obviously territorial. I've spent a lot of time in the bush and the March flies normally buzz around and land and look for a place to bite but this was an instant bite, something different. Bloody hurt and raised bumps but the pain subsided after about an hr. Thought a wasp but it was only one. Any ideas?

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Castlemaine was also a heavy dairy cattle area in the day and even as recent as the 70's irrigation channels ran around the top of hills where they were opened up at different points and gravity flow irrigated the lower hill sides. We played in them as kids along with the cow dung so some may not be that old compared to the channels constructed in the "gold era" of the area.

Gold Mbr2020 said:

Hi, many times I've come across snaking mounds around the sides of hills. They look like they're hand dug. I'm assuming they're something to do with water and maybe keeping it off the lower areas where miners were digging. I don't really know.

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I've seen some around here that I've got no doubt had a dual purpose.
Not water races as such but water trenches/contours to, as you say, help keep water away from lower diggings.
The ones I looked at appeared as though they would have diverted to an upper level of a heavily worked gully so IMO also used the main gully to collect water in waterholes &/or allow the water to run away, with a bit of control from the steep uphill slope (from heavier downpours) rather than letting it all run down thru diggings.

Gold Mbr2020 said:

Did


Maybe, been stung by paper wasps before and have grown up with them in Qld. And the lot of them usually get into you not just one. This was only 1 and bigger and blacker and chased me for 20m as I ran.. lol. Hat, headphones, glasses went and i was aeroguarded and it nailed me twice. Freaked out a bit actually. Better than bloody snakes tho. Still haven't come across one. Touch wood.

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may have been a mangrove wasp if in qld
if the branch the nest is attached to is bumped the whole nest will lift but usually it is one or two that will attack and they will chase you
for a few years i have had the privilege of studying them very closely while trapped in a cherry picker ,they love lychee trees for a roost
we used the sports freeze spray for them
you would back out of the tree slowly while whole nest is in hover mode and slowly grab the can and give them a good spray ,the spray froze there fine wings and they snapped off and they hit the ground then the ants had a feed
the method may have been a bit cruel but over the years we found that it was the only way of a instant result and no one being stung

Gold Mbr2020 said:

Did


Maybe, been stung by paper wasps before and have grown up with them in Qld. And the lot of them usually get into you not just one. This was only 1 and bigger and blacker and chased me for 20m as I ran.. lol. Hat, headphones, glasses went and i was aeroguarded and it nailed me twice. Freaked out a bit actually. Better than bloody snakes tho. Still haven't come across one. Touch wood.

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Certainly wasn't a Buffalo fly, they don't let you know they're sucking you dry until the pain starts.
Working up North, hands covered in grease and oil the bustards would start sucking behind yours ears. You knew they were around when seeing all the mechanical fitters with grease covered ears. They cause a lot of grief in the cattle industry, treated ear tags help.
They are actually an introduced pest from the 1800's, don't know why or how?

bloody wasps.. couple year back I was on the tractor picking up an old log. When I went to grab it with the 4 in 1, black wasps came flying out then b-lined it for me. I can tell you I've never found reverse, then 1st 2nd 3rd 4th so quick in all my life. One got me on my cheek, had to go check the undies after that!