Bugged by bugs
I'm not a fan of winter, but I thought when it froze this year my bug problem would be over.
Ha!
For more than two months, we have been trying to get rid of these annoying gnat-like bugs which usually make their residence in hackberry trees.
Unfortunately, they decided to make their home this season in our apartment in Abilene, and I can't seem to get rid of them. Squishing doesn't help, spraying doesn't help. Nothing seems to help.
A few weeks ago, the extension guy in Saline County had a column in the newspaper there which explained what the flying black dots were and suggested people just ignore them because soon they would disappear.
I wonder just how soon? Because they don't seem to be going anywhere as far as I can see. Over the two-day period Saturday and Sunday, I squished about 50 of the miserable things in rooms throughout the apartment.
It wouldn't be so bad if these bugs would hang out in ceiling corners and lurk like spiders do, but these creatures are everywhere — flying up your nose when you're sleeping, landing on your hand while you're typing, flying into food while you're cooking.
Food must be one of the big enticements. When my husband came home from cooking chicken at the restaurant, he was attacked by several of the miserable things.
I knew it was going to be bad a few weeks ago when the window screens looked black because they were covered with the critters, all of which are so small they fit right through the holes.
It's kind of hard to have a "holly, jolly Christmas" when you're cursing summer bugs.
— KATHY HAGEMAN
