Menacing Mozzies!

What can be worse than the high pitched whine of a mosquito around your ear at night? I seem to have had a (very) minor infestation of them since I got back from the UK a couple of weeks ago, certainly more than I remember having previously. And that despite not having windows open at this time of year. Then again, doors and windows aren’t exactly sealed here, and mosquitoes really are very small. Some of them however don’t find the cracks - each morning, I’m greeted by a swarm of them when I open my front door!

It amazes me that they only seem to have a knack of making their presence known at that point at which I turn off my bedside light, and then apparently make a beeline for my ear. Or so It seems. On turning the light on, of course they vanish, though at times the whine continues with no mozzie visible (at least not to eyes no longer aided by contact lenses or glasses).

Both of my chemical lines of defence, a can of Doom and Vapemats, don’t appear to be as potent as they once were. Not to mozzies at least – I do however sometimes wonder what the effect of long term exposure is on my own health! The only thing that works these days is my bug zapper, a battery-operated racquet which, on making contact with a mosquito (or any insect), produces a satisfying spark and crackle, and the demise (and cremation) of the ‘unfortunate’ target. I do seem to have had more success recently in zapping them, getting at least one or two a day. Not sure if that is due to sluggishness on the part of the mozzies, or if I’m stealthier in my stalking them.

Thankfully, most mosquitoes here aren’t the anopheles kind which carry malaria. They’re just the kind that can cause sleepless nights, and itchy (sometimes nasty) bites.

The legs of a visitor (who'll remain nameless) after a night in my apartment!