How come, when we live in the Western Cape, a winter rainfall area (hopefully more this year!), and we have not had rain for months and months now, how come we are plagued by mosquitoes? There is no water lying around at all, no puddles, no old paint tins filled with stagnant water waiting for mosquitoes to breed, no old sheep troughs lurking in gardens, nothing! I picture you nodding and thinking 'Ah yes, but they have bird baths, there's your answer!' No, we have to fill them at least four times a day, no time for a mosquito to land, let alone settle for a quick egg lay.
Now, when I say 'we' are plagued, I really mean Rob; he is plagued by them, and I am simply plagued by him trying to get rid of them from the bedroom in the middle of the night! He sprays that awful 'DOOM' in the bedroom during the evening when we are watching the T.V, and closes the door. That should do it. Just before we settle down for the night (in the dark so as not to have the light guiding them in), he sprays 'Peaceful Sleep' on him and I dab citronella oil on my head and arms and on the pillow. We even have a fan blowing on us to discourage landings!
That should do it! Right? Wrong!
Don't get me wrong, I do get disturbed by the mosquitoes, but only by the noise they make when they are flying over my head on short finals for whatever part of Rob they can find. They find a bit of him and bite! Then, on goes the light, out comes the 'DOOM' again, mutterings of ‘gotcha you #$@*&&’, the odd pillow flies against the wall or onto the ceiling, and I choke on the fumes and duck under the duvet and curse.
 |
| The 6 meter pole, landing box and bat box |
So, we decided to put up the bat box that I mentioned in a previous blog, we bought it last year. Bats can eat their weight in mosquitoes every night and that could help our cause! We hefted the 6 meter pole into the open and Rob attached the 'landing' box for the actual bat box. We then put the box ready for attachment. It is amazingly cumbersome and heavy, which makes the whole thing top-heavy, and the only way to get it up is to fit the box to the top of the pole before it is fixed to the wall.
 |
| The white box fits onto the pole and the bats climb up between the layers. |
Well, we tied rope to the pole and I 'hopped' over the wall to pull it up as Rob pushed. We battled away and got the pole into position, nicely held against a buttress against the back wall. Rob drilled holes to hold it, put one threaded rod through to get the holes ready to line up and all was well. Then, disaster! As Rob started to take the rod out, the pole slipped sideways and we just couldn't hold it. It was fine, but the wall cracked where the rod twisted as it pulled out and Rob said that it had actually weakened the wall and that wouldn't work! As the wall is only 90 cms high, it didn't give us much choice!
 |
| Bat box or Cat box?? |
So, back to the drawing board! And the ‘DOOM’! But at least the cats are happy!
1 comment:
I have come to the conclusion that the magic insect-killing ingredient in Doom and the like has been removed, and they don't do the job properly anymore. I have watched flies, almost drowned in Doom spray, look sick for a while, recover and continue with their job of pestering me and leaving dirty marks on every white surface they can find in the house.... If they like smelly things, WHY do they come and sit on the mirror in our bathroom?????
As for the mosquitoes - the only way to stop their night feeding frenzy is to sleep under a mosquito net - like we used to in Lusaka. I love ours, but Brian hates it, but then, like you, mosquitoes are not attracted to him like they are to Rob and me (I).....
I also don't know how they manage to fly in the South Easter and find their way into our bedroom.....!!!
Take care
Your old friend of 55 years (length of friendship, not age...!!!)
Post a Comment