Thursday, December 6, 2012

Making Peace with the Insectos

This is not an easy thing to do. But I'm trying. This morning when I found a cockroach in with the bananas, BigJohn took it outside and let it go instead of smashing it. That is real progress! I still feel bad about the scorpion and flyswatter incident but the good news is we flushed the dead body down the toilet. If you just throw it outside, then all the other scorpions know about it and put you on their hit list. Still a little irritated with Hannah for laughing at us when I called to tell her we'd found a scorpion in the back bedroom. And in all fairness BigJohn was going to do a catch and release. The scorpion shouldn't have tried to escape. Found out that they don't kill you if they sting you. So that is good news.
If you don't like spiders, then Costa Rica is NOT the place for you. We have learned that you don't want to let your head brush against any of the branches or vines along the trails. BigJohn found this guy along with a bunch of web in his HAIR!! The body was about the size of a quarter. It was dark and we had to use a flashlight to spot him. Believe me when I tell you the picture does not do him justice.

I've started to leave the webs they build in the house. Hoping they catch some of the fruit flies and other little things flying around. If you wonder how the bugs are getting in the house, take a look at a closeup of our front door.
It's a split door and yeah, that's daylight you're seeing there. I think just about anything could fit through there!

Now let's talk about the ants in the kitchen. They are the tiniest ants I have ever seen. Just a tiny speck of an ant. They were here before us. I saw them coming out of a burner on the stove top the first time I turned it on. They get into almost everything! Tried putting out a saucer with a little honey in it. (Yes, I know. Very clever of me.) I pictured it covered with thousands of them. Didn't work. But turns out they love butter. Found that out when I left the butter out overnight accidentally. BigJohn was the first one in the kitchen the next day and found the butter and the foil wrapper black with ants. He threw it in the trash. Then we had a trail of ants coming out of the trash and heading off. So this has been a great motivation for me to keep the kitchen spotless. Found out they don't like garlic so I can leave that out on the counter. Which is kind of surprising since garlic is supposed to be so good for you. If Hector doesn't eat all his dog food, they are all over it in just a short while. I think they start to come out when they hear me rattling pots and pans and beginning to cook. Hey! What's Sara making for dinner tonight? Come on everybody! Everything in the cupboard is being stored in double ziplock baggies. That's keeping them out of there so far.

This area has insects the likes of which I've never seen before. Saw the coolest giant colorful beetle on the trail on the way home yesterday. BigJohn and I were both bent over watching it work its way through the grass when ACK!! it flew right up into the air! Shocking.

And here's another spider. This one showed up at Palo Verde. As I'm shouting "Get it off! Get it off!" Francisco is holding my arm still while lecturing us on all sorts of spider info. Now looking back on this incident, I'm a little suspicious that Francisco might have picked that spider off an overhanging tree and placed it on my hand thinking it's funny. I doubt I'll ever get him to admit to that. But look at that huge smile on his face! He's obviously enjoying himself.

I have found some REALLY BIG spiders in this house. And BigJohn told me when he got up to let Hector out one night, he turned on the living room light and a couple of biggies scuttled across the floor. Now what's creepy about that is - to turn on the living room light, you have to cross the living room into the kitchen. So you never know what you're walking into. I bought a flashlight at the grocery store and it's my new favorite thing. I keep it on the nightstand for floor inspections at night.

Hannah and Francisco's dogs love bugs. In the evening they keep busy chasing moths on the front deck. Nothing cuter than little Malak with moth wings hanging out of his mouth. And take a look at this spider that Mia found.
I'm joking on that one. It's her new toy. But it could have been real!




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