Mosquitoes

I have to laugh whenever someone here comes on the news to warn us about the hazards of the West Nile virus and explains the actions needed to avoid being bitten by a mosquito. Hah. I've lived in the upper Midwest, and the comparison is laughable. There it was all mosquitoes, all the time, at dawn, at dusk, at freakin' NOON. (We're talking a state where they are so common that teenage sports teams talk about their absence with wonder when they play out of state.) How many mosquitoes have I seen since I moved back here? Two. Over the course of a year.

Californians? Y'all can simmer down now! (And, yes, I know that West Nile is a serious disease, not to be taken lightly. But in terms of relative risks, you'd be far better off not driving on the freeways than spraying yourself obsessively with DEET.)

Comments

[Michelle]

I can't hang in my backyard or sit on my deck without adhering to the bug-bite or spraying with bug-repellent. Seriously -- I sat in the hammock tonight for less than ten minute and had five bites.

[Jill Smith]

Having grown up in New Hampshire and lived in Maine and Minnesota, I have to say I agree with you. What is it about brutal winters that make mosquitos the size of H2s? We get a few here in Maryland, but they're feeble by comparison.

[David Foster]

I understand that **bats** love to eat mosquitos...one bat can gobble 3000-6000 of them in one night. I put up a bat house in the yard, and am hoping for a bat family to move in and get to work very soon...

Also, citronella candles seem to help a bit.