After lots of rain and high temperatures, the flea population has mushroomed in Corpus Christi, TX, more specifically in our home! We have three dogs and one indoor cat, who have had their monthly flea treatments to no avail. Unfortunately, my female body is the one the fleas love to bite. So as you are reading this FF, our pets and ourselves will be gone from the house for 3-4 hours, after a pest company sprays all the floors.With fleas on my mind and on my body, here is an insect-ious Friday Five.
1.In this broad geographical area of 4 microclimates (desert, mountain, beach, inland), termites are super-common.
2. My best guess is temperate, atmospheric pressure, and humidity (aka "weather") have some effect on insect and pest activity, but I can't say what or how.
3. This is my second longish sojourn in southern California, and both times termites have been the major concern; the termite experience was new to me the first time. Driving down the street you frequently will see houses or businesses tented for termites and it's especially fun when the biz is a restaurant!
4. Although in general I don't have major problems with insects and tend to get fewer bites than other people, way back in the day I had a kettlecloth dress I'd made in a kind of neon coral, and the mosquitos adored it, so I've a clue as to how other victims sometimes suffer. However, if I'm going to the mountains, desert (or beach) in season I usually wear insect repellant.
5. My anything else about insects and pests is that my late Dad, whom I never knew (I met him at least once, or I may have conflated several meetings as a pre-schooler into a single memory) was an entomologist for the forest service and my late grandmother on my maternal side insisted if she'd had a chance to continue her education she'd have become an entomologist, too. I've been involved some in the South African Sabi Sands Game Reserve leopard communities on Facebook, and learning a little about the ecological benefits of termites has been fascinating—leopards absolutely love to lounge on terminate mounds!
Thanks, Jan!
How interesting to hear about your family background of educated bug enthusiasts! I didn't know termites were such a problem in CA. They are sometimes here--I suppose the sunshine and heat helps them out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your validation of this strange FF!