Buzz Buzz Buzz

I feel totally incapable of writing right now. My head is abuzz with possibilities, and reining it in is like trying to get rid of an ant trail (without mercilessly killing them). Move their target, throw it out, (solve the possibilities) and they keep walking back and forth on their path, and even might start looking for other interesting places to go. Incidentally, I have an ant trail in my room right now. And it’s not my fault. Every year/season we seem to have an inexplicable infestation of something. Last year it was blind? slow moving spiders with long legs. This year, it’s beetles. Which I initially thought were cockroaches. They all crunch when you step on them, what’s the difference?

I had been killing about 10 a day (in my bedroom, not counting other ones I kill during in other places, like the ones hiding in the clean towel bin) when one night I was too lazy to pick up all the smashed ones before bed. I don’t enjoy touching bugs, dead or alive. The next morning, all the carcasses were gone, but I didn’t notice it. Someone asked to use my bathroom, and I said, “sure, but ignore all the dead bugs on my floor.” She said, “there aren’t any dead bugs on your floor.” At first this was serendipitous news, but now I might know who took care of all the dead bugs. Quite possibly a very happy and now well fed, ant colony.
The beetles seem to be fewer in number, but now I have ants in my trash can, when all that could possibly have attracted them was dirty tissues and DEAD BUG CARCASSES.

P.S. I decided to kill the beetles with boric acid sprinkled liberally around my baseboard. It kills them by spreading into their living area as they carry it back to the colony. BUT they can’t carry it back to the colony if they keep getting smashed and put in the rubbish bin, so I stopped smashing them and let them live. Counter-intuitive, but it worked. Sometimes you have to be counter-intuitive with kids as well.

I kill the daddy long legs that chose to make my bedroom their habitat. But I spare those that I see are eating the beetles. I also hear centipedes like to eat the beetles. Two have been found inside the houses, both the length of an adult hand from tip of middle finger to heel of hand. Makes sense that they would show up where such a plentiful food source is.

When I chose to come to Mexico, I didn't realize i was coming to a rural area. I didn't use to be snobby about water before, but now after drinking well water for a year and a half, over chlorinated city water is not my style. I never used to be able to tell the difference. I'll take living with bugs for just a little while longer. The people (and the well water!) here are worth it.