Ha! Just yesterday I was thinking my life is being run by bugs! Well, maybe not ‘run’ but bugs are in my life way more than people.
First of all the mosquitoes are ferocious! After that heat blast and now rain they crowd by the door to get in. I can’t get in my car without at least three getting in with me. That’s dangerous driving trying to grab mosquitoes as they circle you looking for a tender spot.
I have one of those ‘Moroccan’ lamps I put a citronella tea candle in and leave by the back door when I’m working outside. that helps. It’s a good thing I don’t have kids and men around holding the door open. I slip in and out quickly closing the aluminum door behind me rather than waiting for the slow self-close.
Working outside its Deep Woods Off. No fooling around with natural ‘deterrents’. Going to work outside is a major commitment of sunscreen and bug dope.
Inside there are the ants. The tiny ants have finally left although an occasional scout or lost ant walks by. Now its the big black ants. You can’t leave a crumb of food or a drop of juice or they will find it and tell all their friends. I have found the best natural deterrent this year; save all citrus peels in a jar of white vinegar in the fridge and spray this around the food area. I also have cinnamon sprinkled behind my sink faucets.
The big trouble is that I really hate killing things. I can’t just do the STOMP you’re dead thing. It’s a curse! I yell at them; “Go Away, Please!” really close to their little faces. I blow marijuana smoke at them and they go a little crazy. Why not? I’ve tried just about everything. One year I stained my counters using turmeric.
But there is a good bug life, too. The Swallowtail butterflies are incredible this year! They are fluttering around, playing with each other, floating by….. I’ve seen three different types, yellow and black. I do have lots of flowering shrubs which all bloom in June so its like heaven….. from indoors looking out the windows.
And fireflies….. oh man, so beautiful. The window in my bedroom is small and exactly the height of my head. I can lean on the wall and have my face practically outside. It faces my garden which is surrounded by shrubs and woods. I turn out the lights and watch all the fairies twinkling. Last night I could hear the lake as the waves were stirred up. I can’t help but think how lucky I am.
The crickets are just starting. By August they will be driving me crazy at night.
Bugs, bugs lots of bugs. But they don’t bug me that much.
https://lindaghill.com/2018/06/22/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-23-18/
monicle's chronicles 
You’re so lucky to have fire flies. We used to see them a lot in the summer, but it’s been years. I think it’s because the city sprays for mosquitoes. I have trouble killing bug, too. Maybe that’s why my reaction time seems slow. Yeah. It’s not that I’m slowing down, I just don’t want to kill them. I always carry the spiders, beetles and moths outside. The roaches give me trouble though. Cedar spray works well, the citrus not so much. Maybe the citrus is more to repel than to kill. I’m okay with that. Maybe I’ll try the citrus peals in vinegar. Thanks for the tip.
the citrus just repels not kills. But I can safely spray it on my counters. Good idea about the cedar, I’ll put some in the jar.
And I just wrote about the bugs in my life too! Nice to meet you. We seem to have the same problem. We call fireflies “candle flies” where I’m from. I do love those. They’re not the kinds of bugs we’re getting now though. The rainy season doesn’t do pretty bugs.
We call fireflies lightning bugs. As a kid, they were everywhere during the summers. We saw a few last year again after many years absence. So far I have not noticed any this year. I wish they’d come back
You should take a video of the stoned bugs.
https://youtu.be/FfMDhzzvvVA I don’t know if this link will work here. if not, look up “Spiders on Drugs NFB parody.”
Thanks that was too funny.