PDA

View Full Version : Ticks and gnats


Marsha Lynn
21st June 2008, 02:50 PM (14:50)
Man, I wish Pharoah would just let the people go already! Is anyone else experiencing the plague of gnats? Actually, someone said they're little flies rather than gnats. I'm not sure if that's a biological distinction or the result of sensitivity training. Regardless, they're making the outdoors a lot less pleasant than it otherwise would be in this week of pleasant summer weather.

The ticks are an only-to-be-expected drawback of living too close to the woods in Indiana, but they seem worse than usual this year. I'm tired of feeling the tickle of bug against skin and then trying to figure out how to get rid of it with the least amount of exertion. Squishing is not a realistic solution -- they have very hard shells. And I highly resent having to interrupt what I'm doing to hunt down a toilet or access to the great outdoors in order to get them out of my hair (literally), particularly when what I am doing is sleeping! Still, playing in the dirt in my garden is worth it all -- ticks AND gnats, er, little flies.

By the way, speaking of biblical events, during the heavy rains this spring, a church sign in the area read, "Noah, do you still have those plans?" Last week, after the record-breaking flooding of the river, the same sign read, "Noah, we really could use those plans!" I guess they didn't read the whole story. All they need is Genesis chapter 6, a pile of gopher wood, and a sturdy cubit stick and they should be good to go.

:p

Marsha

Gina Stevenson
21st June 2008, 04:42 PM (16:42)
Haven't seen any cubit sticks lately, Marsha, but have seen a few yard sticks ... they can stick two of these together, and ................ :laughing [cubit is six feet, if I recall, right?]

Marsha Lynn
28th June 2008, 10:01 PM (22:01)
Our tiny invaders have made the news. It turns out that they're called "midges" and are an after-effect of the flooding. Like mosquitoes, they breed in standing water and the females feed on human blood.

The midges seem to have thinned out this week. This morning the deer flies were after me while I was trying to work in my garden. They bite! On from the plague of gnats to the plague of flies. What's next? Frogs to eat all the gnats and flies?

:gen03