All About Mosquitoes
June 9, 1989
It is impossible to keep them out. When the door opens to let the dog in a miasma of mosquitoes hangs close over her, and rides in on human inhabitants, plying their bloodsucking technique all the way.
Yesterday when cooking, one was attracted to the batter and I couldn’t continue until I’d stopped and dispatched him. Later, when I got in the car I killed one on the upholstery and had to get out and go about removing the blood stain.
Gardening has been difficult even though I dress like a nun and apply enough fly dope to keep humans away. I come in with a mottled forehead, bloody bites all along my hair line, and itchy neck and a bite strategically located to give me a black eye.
When we take out morning walk we gather little switches with the leaves attached and walk along switching ourselves right and left.
At night; at night with the light out, you are left at their mercy and they have none. As I lie there, I can hear them approach, and then more than one, as they sing in different keys. I wait as they gather, the taking both hands I swat myself silly then lie with my ears ringing, listening for the drone that will signal failure. Another technique is to quickly pull up the sheet, trapping them under it and slap at them.
If only they’d light and bite and go away. It’s the idea of the tiny helicopters hovering and changing their minds and hovering somewhere else and then changing their minds again.
I refuse to fog them away of zap them away as these methods take too many innocent victims but I do hope that we have lots of fly catching birds that hatch very many fledglings each with a huge appetite.
