Spring brought the arrival of large black ants who took up residence in my kitchen. Again, treatments were applied to the perimeter of the house and they too, eventually moved to better accommodations. I later found out that sprinkling cornmeal around the house where the ants are found is a nontoxic ant repellant. Cornmeal is a much safer alternative especially for my felines who often chase and sometimes eat whatever is crawling on the floor.
With summer's heat came the mosquitoes, wasps and assortment of other biting insects. I am a walking skeeter restaurant with my exposed arms and legs covered with large red bites. Deep Woods Off Dry soon became my perfume of choice.
But repellants are no gurantee against the painful sting I received in July. I watched as the bite on my elbow swelled and a large red ring formed around the bite. Antihistamines, topical and oral, now were part of my daily routine. I was fortunate to have my camera handy and took a picture of the nasty, but very unusual, little fellow. I sent the photo to a friend who has a Masters degree in Entomology (the study of insects) who told me it was an Assassin Bug. Lucky me.
All told, my encounters this year have made me think more about insects than I have ever done before. I find myself seeking them out, looking for unusual shapes, colors and behaviors. Unlike most animals, identifying insects are more difficult. I have read that there are more than 900,000 different species of insects around the world. Insects are essential in the cycle of nature: from the pollination of plants, as a food source for birds, bats and other animals, decomposer of plant and animal remains and unfortunately, disease transmission. Maybe it is time to give them alittle more respect.
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