Along with the summer, comes the bugs…the insects. (The bugs of summer are one reason I prefer Fall for a lot of outdoor activities.)
Insects are so necessary for survival on our planet…I know, I know. We’d all soon be dead if there were no bugs.
However, in the summer insects can also be big pains in the ass, and some are downright assholes.
Mosquitoes for one. Deer flies for another. But in my mind, there is only one true contender for the Summer Asshole Insect crown (if ever there was such a thing): the wasp.
There I was, exiting my building and minding my own business one morning last August when a wasp came out of nowhere and dive-bombed into my arm and stung me. A couple of days later my arm starting swelling and turning red around the sting.
On the other arm hand, I love seeing butterflies, damselflies, bumblebees and of course – DRAGONFLIES – in the summer.
And it wouldn’t be summer without hearing the whine song of the cicadas as the temperatures rise.
How do you feel about our buggy assholes friends? Any favourites? Any ones you just can’t stand?
Rock on,
The WB
Can you guess my theme for this year’s A-Z Challenge? All of my A-Z posts this month will be tied into my theme, which is represented by the title of a song that was popular when I was a child. Can you figure it out as the days (and posts) go by? Leave your guesses (one per day only, please) in the comments. At the end of the challenge, I will reveal the theme. Have fun!
Jerry Mungo’s “In the Summertime?”
Thanks for the guess, Susan!
I don’t like bugs either, but the one I fear the most is the tick. Knock on wood, we’ve been lucky so far (we spray ourselves and wear hats and such) but many of my friends have had lyme disease, so I’m always on the lookout.
Oh, I forgot about that little asshole! My sis has Lyme disease and I should have remembered this one. I wear pants when I am in thick brush and check my legs afterwards. Thanks Karen.
I too am super paranoid about ticks, but butterflies make me smile … or as one blogger suggested, they should rightfully be called flutterbys 🙂
… and yes! Susan’s guess of Jerry Mungo’s Summertime. omg – I love that song. If it isn’t that one, it should be!
Thanks for the guess, Joanne!
Black flies. I HATE black flies because I can’t see them and yet they hurt like the dickens. And mosquitoes. I have a couple of fireplaces and I burn wood through the winter. The mosquitoes come in on the wood, warm up and attack, often when I’m in bed asleep and defenceless. I have bites everywhere and it’s still winter for pete’s sake.
Oh and ticks. I just spent $427 (I”m still recovering) to protect my two dogs against ticks for the next year. And yet there’s no protection for humans. That’s just wrong in so many ways.
I do love butterflies. And dragonflies.
Yeah, why is that? That dogs get a tick pill and we don’t??? I didn’t list black flies because I think of them as more of a spring problem than a summer one.
Mosquitoes, thumbs down. Always. Dragonflies, thumbs up. Forever. At one point I considered dragonflies to be my spirit animal. Not so much anymore, but the attraction remains.
Dragonflies are such a powerful symbol in many cultures – of rebirth, of creativity, of spirits of the departed. One could do worse, for a spirit animal.
I worry about ticks. They keep me off the nature trail with my dog. Not crazy about bees either because I’m allergic.
That’s too bad, Jean. Do dogs have to worry about Lyme disease as well, I wonder?
omg mosquitoes love me and therefore I hate them. But I got bit by a red ant once and it was the WORST EVER. Mosquito bites are mild annoyances in comparison.
That’s too bad, Akilah! Mosquitoes bother me when there is no one “tastier” nearby. I try not to be offended by this. 😉
Care to go for a walk with me sometime? 🙂
Yes! I had a bad experience with a wasp last summer too. The red swelling lasted over 4 weeks. What about you, Deb? They had made a nest in one of my planters of all things! Talk about being blind-sided on a happy mission of watering my geraniums!
Once I applied the antibiotic cream, the swelling and redness went down in about 48 hours. I drew a circle with a Sharpie around the edges of the swelling so I could see easily if it was receding or getting worse. Bees will only sting you if you get in their way but wasps go out of their way to get you. They really are assholes.