Bug Rant

Before I start my rant I want to explain my philosophy has been;

We, as humans, are the highest form on earth and it is our duty to share the earth and look after all the other creatures.

After years of ant and fly invasions I have changed this to,

” All creatures have a right to the earth but not to invade my house!”

It’s frustrating trying to get rid of ants, flies, etc. I find they are a lot more plentiful in the country. It must be the fresh air that keeps them strong and persistent.

When I lived in the city they were not a problem but then everyone’s lawn on the street was sprayed with dangerous toxic pesticides ~ sure the lawns looked great but at what cost?

Pesticides are composed of chemical elements used to kill insects and pests that damage grass and crops but they have serious drawbacks.

They can cause health problems not only in humans, but animals. My dog died of cancer when I lived in the city and I believe it was the poisonous spray put on the lawns that lead to his demise.

The decline of bees and butterflies has been linked to the use of pesticides, especially ones with nicotine.

I didn’t mean to get off in a rant about pesticides but I am always looking for a way to eliminate unwanted house pests without using dangerous compounds.

I will get back to my rant on ants and beetles....

Ants 🐜 love the rich red sandstone soil of Prince Edward Island. They are a problem every summer and I have never seen such big anthills.

Small red, large black, flying ants all come around at different times. I should count my blessings I haven’t seen any fire ants!

When I see the ants around the perimeters of the of the buildings or coming into the house, I am on them immediately by putting ant traps around the outside of the house and barn.

Hubby burned three large anthills that were on the edge of the lawn and they still kept on building new hills.

Numerous anthills can be found along the forest path ~ that’s okay as long as they stay in the forest.

Anthill

Ants have their purpose by cleaning up dead organisms and they are food for animals. That’s all fine and good but stay out of my house you little annoying pests.

The industrious ants have killed some of the tiny spruce trees while making their huge homes. They use the needles from the spruce and sand to help build their anthill.

In the above photo, to the right of the anthill, you can see the skeleton remains of a tiny spruce tree cleaned of all it’s needles by the ants.

An unexpected menace this year is a small beetle that multiples continually. I think they are born pregnant.

This is the first year I’ve seen these Japanese beetles (at least that’s what I think they are). They look similar to lady bugs and have invaded everyone’s house in this area. Not in the garden but in the houses this spring- on the walls and windows.

By coming inside they survive the winter and can start chewing on my flower garden and grass roots as soon as the weather allows.

Small Beetle

I would think our cold winter would have killed them but they managed to come indoors to breed and multiply.

Here the beetles are climbing up the light pull chain when the light is on. They like to be warm and don’t have a cozy outside house like the ants.





These nuisance little beetles have been the talk around town. Everyone living in my area seems to have an invasion of them in their homes.

The story goes the Japanese beetles were first found in Japan, then managed to find their way to New Jersey, U.S.A. and from there spread into Canada.

I even heard they were brought in to kill aphids. Thanks whoever brought them into the country!

Whatever their purpose, I want them out of my home!

In desperation I have even squashed them with my fingers. Other times, when I’m less stressed by their appearance, I put one tbsp of dish soap in a spray bottle of water, spray them and wipe up the pesty little critters with a paper towel.





Location: Prince Edward Island, Canada.

Photos by @ redheadpei.

This post was inspired by @apanamamama’s post https://steemit.com/nature/@apanamamama/ants-beetles-and-flies-oh-my.

#thealliance

🐜 Thanks for visiting and reading my rant! 🐜

Have a bug free day!