OK.. now this is gross...
 

I have a bug mystery.... last night about 9.30 I was coming home, parked my car and as I walked towards the stairs at my apt I thought I saw like a ton of tiny leaves blowing around and I'm thinking hmmm that's odd - as I got closer I noticed the ground was TOTALLY covered with these disgusting huge bugs. They were almost like a red/orange color - sort of like an ugly ladybird without the black dots and they were everywhere - I mean gross - totally. I ran through them and as I did it was like they were trying to get off the ground - I think they were dying or something and the odd one had made it upstairs.

Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. Anyone got any clue what they could have been? In their droves - literally!

Re: OK.. now this is gross...
 

Its The Return of the Cicadas.

Re: OK.. now this is gross...
 

Don't they come every 14 years or something? Due this year......

Anyone got 'em? Fortunately they don't migrate up this far.

Re: OK.. now this is gross...
 

It seems that there are several different kinds on different cycles - 17 yr, 5 yr, 2 yr, you name it. Here there seem to be some every summer, some years are just more intense that others.

We haven't had the invasion of the cicadas either. Shame - quite fancied seeing them in their full glory.;)

Garlic and lemon juice works well when sprayed on your garden. Also eating lots of garlic works and rubbing lemon juice on your skin.

However, I have tried absolutely everything (including the skin so soft) and I still get bitten (although no where near as much as I used to) if I go out at dusk so I have to stay indoors. I get a bad reaction where the area swells up and is very painful where I get bitten. The spraying of the garden, however, has helped the children not get bitten as much.

Should keep the neighbours nicely under control too.:D

We were bitten a lot by mozzies when we first moved to Singapore; although a modern city state it still has patches of rainforests and jungle. We arrived during one of the twice-yearly monsoon seasons which didn't help as mozzies breed in stagnant water and there is plenty of that around in a tropical climate (the island is 85 miles north of the Equator).

Another expat told me that most Westerners get bitten a lot when they first move to a new abode, then after a few months it gets less and less....however we realised that we were eating a lot more garlic as it is used liberally in Asian cooking. We really were rarely getting mozzie bites after a few months - I truly think I've been bitten more since I've moved to New Jersey than I ever was in Singapore (although virtually all the condos are 'fogged' each month which of course is rare in a single family house in the US).

If you can't bear to eat lots of garlic, then do try garlic pearls (capsules) which you can swallow with a drink of water. I really ought to be following my own advice methinks! :D

You can always trust good old Dr. Weil!

http://www.drweil.com/app/cda/drw_cd...uestionId=3020

We're being swamped by wierd looking light green, flying grasshopper type things at the moment. They're all congregating on the white screen doors and leaping in the house at the first opportunity.......

I HATE INSECTS!!!! :mad: