I’ve always been smug about one of the true joys of living in California—especially in the desert. Why? Compared to other states, there are NO BUGS, or at least very few! Yeah, right. If it’s not one thing, it’s another. Once again, life has let me down. What happened? Living in the desert, Hubby and I often relax outside in the evenings, sipping wine and enjoying our happy hour. It has always been so pleasant. But the other evening, when we came inside, we both started to itch! And no, for those with dirty minds, it was nothing like that!
What the @#&%$? Red welts popped up on our ankles and feet. They hurt! We wanted to scratch, but because we’re so old, we couldn’t reach our ankles. So, what to do? I got out the Bactine spray and sprayed us both. It helped, but not a lot. We didn’t see anything attacking us out there. What was it? Before I got a chance to Google and find out what might have bitten us, I got an email from Patch, a local online news outlet. This was the scary headline:
A Problem We’ve Never Seen Before: CA Goes On Offense Against ‘Ankle Biters’
Oh my, we’ve been invaded! What exactly are they? For those who want the scientific answer, the official name for these Ankle Biters is Aedes aegypti. For you high school graduates, they’re a type of mosquito. And for laymen like me, I always thought ankle biters were just small dogs or children. As usual, I have no idea what I’m talking about!
So, what is California doing to eradicate them? “Batches of irradiated male mosquitoes are being released to mate with as many females as possible. As a result, the females can’t lay fertilized eggs, which reduces the mosquito population over time.” By the way, ‘irradiated’ means sterilized. I can’t help but wonder how long it will take for former tree huggers to become today’s defenders of mosquitoes. Some people will protest against any form of perceived inhumane treatment toward any creature on this planet, plants included. I suppose these gentle souls might prefer fitting tiny condoms on amorous male mosquitoes rather than supporting sterilization!
Because I didn’t want to wait for this new breed of mosquitoes to breed unsuccessfully, I got out my Home Defense and sprayed our patio, thinking I could handle this problem on my own. Not to be! After I sprayed, we smugly sat outside again, clinking our long-stemmed glasses. But once more, the foreign ankle biters attacked. Not only do their bites hurt, but the welts last for days and sometimes even bleed. It was time to get help from Hubby. With a gleam in his eye, he went online. An Amazon delivery brought a proven insect repellent the very next day. Before heading out, we sprayed each other’s ankles, arms, and necks. The repellent worked for Hubby, but not for me.
Three strikes and you’re out—or should I say, in? My days of sitting outside are over. Enough is enough! Growing up in Minnesota, battling bugs and insects was a daily challenge. After all, the mosquito is the state bird of Minnesota. Did you know that Minnesotans can list OFF insect repellent as a deductible household expense on their taxes? Or that they carry it as often as their cell phones? Minnesotans are also superb Pickleball players, thanks to over 10,000 hours of swatting flies and mosquitoes! There’s even a small Minnesota town whose mascot is the boxelder bug—they celebrate Boxelder Bug Days with races, parades, and more!
Of course, Minnesota isn’t the only place troubled by bugs. I’ve encountered these pesky creatures in many other areas. That’s why I was so thrilled to live somewhere I didn’t need screens to keep the bugs out—and could sit outside without being bothered by them. After leaving the frozen tundra of my youth, I was introduced to termites—creatures not commonly found in cold climates. They are widespread in hot, humid regions. Before moving to such a place, I had never thought much about them. But when I learned they could eat your house, they captured my full attention! I also discovered other bugs and insects of concern in those hot, humid climates. The first time I saw a cockroach, I thought it was a mouse—really! I screamed and jumped onto the table!
One day, feeling bored, I decided to count the mosquito bites on my arm, from wrist to elbow. This happened many years ago, and no, I wasn’t making love with Hubby at the time!
Curious—and once again surrounded by insects—I decided to do some research. Don’t freak out, but there are about 10 quintillion insects alive on Earth at any given time. That’s 10 followed by 19 zeros! There are also around 900,000 different species. Who comes up with these numbers? In many cases, they’re estimates. What about no-see-ums? That has to be a guess—after all, how do you count something you can’t see? Until that recent news article, we thought our bites were from no-see-ums. That’s still a possibility in my mind. Not long ago, before the invasion of Aedes aegypti, we had visitors from Florida, and we sat outside enjoying the great weather. They marveled at how nice it was to sit outside without being bothered by insects. A friend who recently moved from Chicago to the desert said her son became alarmed when they were riding on a train and he noticed there were no screens on the windows. She reassured him there were no bugs here!
Of course, there are other pests here in the desert. Most are easily avoided by staying alert. Fire ants, however, can sneak up on you, and their bites are pretty painful. They are easy to identify, so avoid stepping on their hills—they don’t appreciate it! If disturbed, they quickly form an army [hence the phrase army of ants.] They’ll crawl up your hands, legs, and everywhere else, and suddenly launch a frenzied attack. Experiencing this once will ensure you never trespass on their territory again!
Then there are occasional wasps. With so many flowers, bees are also present, but they are usually easy to avoid. Bee swarms are common in the desert, especially during spring and early summer. If disturbed, bees will attack. If this happens, RUN and seek shelter. If they catch up to you, cover your face and head with your arms to protect yourself. Stings to the head and arms can restrict breathing and cause suffocation! What if you’re bald? Don’t worry—you don’t breathe through the top of your head. Caution: do not attempt to escape by running through water, as the bees will wait for you to emerge and attack again.
Now that we have a cat, we also have to deal with fleas! @#&%$ Hubby became concerned when Gypsy started scratching. She had sneaked out a few times and spent the night outside. When she returned, her scratching increased. I suggested that she was just itchy and wouldn’t he also scratch himself if he itched. By the way, fleas bite humans only as a last resort—they much prefer cats and dogs over humans! [I know people just like that.]
Hubby went online once again to research various flea repellents for cats. He spent considerable time comparing and then purchasing different products, but even after exhausting our IRAs, he wasn’t satisfied with the results—Gypsy kept scratching. His latest purchase was a special chewy treat designed to prevent fleas in cats. There’s just one problem: Gypsy refuses to eat the expensive treats. So Hubby tries to hide them in her favorite cat food, and now she won’t eat that either!
He even bought a special comb designed to capture adult fleas and their larvae when brushing your cat. He was thrilled the first time he combed her, since he didn’t find a thing! I quickly burst his bubble by suggesting that maybe the comb wasn’t working. [Sometimes I wonder how we’re still married!]
The latest issue around here is the occasional gnat, though they don’t bother me that much. Having grown up surrounded by bugs of all types, a gnat is not a big deal. However, for someone raised in a more pristine environment, gnats may cause concern. I offered to spray some Home Defense, but the nervous one decided to try a home remedy—a bowl of apple cider vinegar, dish soap, and sugar. So far, there’s been no effect on the gnat population, but the cat’s been so hungry she’s drinking Hubby’s mixture!
I’m annoyed by the ankle biters, but reflecting on my farm girl past puts things in perspective—gnats flying everywhere, getting into my nose, eyes, ears, and just about everything else; mosquitoes galore; house flies, black flies, horse flies, blue flies; and of course, grasshoppers! Once, while walking around the farm, a swarm of grasshoppers jumped onto my legs. It wasn’t just one or two—my legs were completely covered. I immediately wished I hadn’t shaved my legs! Did they hurt? No, but they pinch when they jump off.
Spiders and ticks are also a concern, but repellents are now available to help protect against these pests. In the past, to remove a tick, people used to touch it with the tip of a hot match to make it let go. A word of caution: always blow out the match before placing it on the tick! Scorpions—yes, they got me too—just two stings! I was convinced my life was over because of all the James Bond movies I’d seen. Thankfully, it wasn’t so bad. It was pretty much like a bee sting. The anticipation was worse than the actual event.
Another farm memory I have is the sticky fly strip. Most homes had them hanging from the ceiling, all covered with flies – GAG! However, it didn’t seem to deter one’s appetite. I still liked Jello! Modern bug zappers are the latest innovation! But what are they exactly? They are appliances that attract insects with light, usually ultraviolet (UV), and then electrocutes them. It’s primarily used to control flying insects such as flies, gnats, and moths, but it’s less effective against mosquitoes. Have you ever been around a bug zapper? They are very noisy in a highly buggy area. It’s like listening to a symphony or, worse yet, rap music.
Hubby suggested half-jokingly that I could still sit outside if I wore a burka. After all, we are in the desert, he said, and a mosquito couldn’t penetrate that. I said, “Look, I’m a desert rat, but I ain’t chasing my wardrobe.” He’s really starting to bug me!
So tell me what’s bugging you! Your comments are welcome and always appreciated!
