Are you invaded by different flying insects at different times of the year?
By katerina
@thea09 (18305)
Greece
July 27, 2009 5:55am CST
Once the weather begins to heat up lots of different insects fly in without invitation and some are worse than others. The mosquitoes are a constant throughout the summer and we have odd nights when there is a full invasion of flying ants, this one necessitates all windows being closed. There are the grasshoppers who would be better off staying outside. The builder bees invade to maketheir horrid mud nests. The wasps are an annoyance. September brings the advent of what we call smelly bugs, they are completely stupid green or brown shelled things which buzz like the loudest fly ever and smell when you kill them. The flies themselves come out in full force in October especially when they smell food. The moths try to batter their way in but thankfully are repelled by yellow lights. I'm sure I've missed something that feels it is perfectly acceptable to fly in without an invite. What do you get plagued by?
3 people like this
6 responses
@Sweetchariot (1718)
• United States
28 Jul 09
During the winter months, we litterally do not have an insects or flies to worry about. However,during the summer, mosquitoes come out, flies, bees and hornets. The mosquitoes normally only come out in the evening, so it is hard to sit out on a warm night, when you are constantly bitten by these buggers. Flies are usually more common when the humidity is high. The bees and hornets are the terrible thing, and you never want to be around any of them. For the most part, they leave us alone, but if they do get near you, it is best to run away from it. Their stinger is hurtful, and the spot on your body that they might sting can swell up. Some people are actually allergic to them, and die from their bites. We also have crickets who are very harmless, but on a warm night, with your windows open, you can hear their sound. Sometimes it is a comforting sound, and the first sign of summer.
2 people like this
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
29 Jul 09
Hi Sweetchariot, I am always confused as to whether or not a cricket is a grasshopper or a chiccado, if the latter they are making the most frightful din at the moment, probably the heat.If the former I try to persuade them to go outside again. I'm with you on the mossies, even though my mosquito milk normally works well this year is so hot I think they must just be licking it off then biting. Not exactly sure what a hornet is, different things by different names perhaps
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
4 Aug 09
Hi sweetchariot, it seems like we have grasshoppers in common, they actually have been much less of a nuisance this year, with only a couple coming inside, I prefer it when they stay out there where they should.
Now your crickets definitely sound like our chiccadoes, noisy and black and big with a hard back. I've had a few come in the car and don't like it, a huge one flew in one day when I was driving and I could hear it but not find it, so I stopped at the petrol station and made the man there get rid of it, I have no embarrasment at all in requiring assistance in such matters.
I don't think I've ever seen a hornet, guess we just don't get them here, I never gave much thought to what they actually were before but presumed they were more bug like than bee like.
@Sweetchariot (1718)
• United States
29 Jul 09
Hornets are like bees, but bigger, and they don't have the yellow bellie like a bee. Their sting is much worse.
A cricket to us is the a round bug with a brown hard back..eech!..they are ugly, but, as I said harmless. The noice you hear when it's hot, we call it the heat bug...when you hear it you know it's real warm outside. It probably comes from a cricket, but we never knew that when we were young.
We have grasshoppers too, and are very harmless...matter of fact I think they are more scared of us, then we are of them. When we were children, We used to try to catch them and put them in a jar. They are usually green and hop all over the grass.
@thedailyclick (3017)
•
28 Jul 09
I hate the summer for exactly that reason too many flying pests which dive at you whenever you go anywhere and somehow find their way into your home even when the windows and doors are shut. Moths, butterflies and grasshoppers don't bother me in the slightest even lady birds are ok in my books. But wasps, bees and flys make my skin crawl. Right now you can't walk into the back garden as we seem to have been infested with blue bottles and bees thanks to all the plants being in bloom.
Oh and as for those smelly bugs, we get them too and I've learned the hard way not to squish them, lol.
Roll on the winter months when there are a lot less of these flying pests about.
1 person likes this
@thedailyclick (3017)
•
5 Aug 09
I just had to come back to this discussion today as it has been unbelievably humid here in the UK today and every where I went there were masses of flying ants and wasps.
As for those smelly bugs we never use to have them here in the UK but over the last couple of year we have definitely started to see them coming over. I reckon it must be you sending them over from Greece 
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
29 Jul 09
Hi friend, I never once saw what we call smelly bugs in the UK, think they must be different. Used to see woodlice though which I loathed, and never had any inside over here. I definitely prefer the summer to the winter as can't stand being cold so i suppose I have to take the flying things with the territory. All I can hear at the moment is the ciccados outside, sounds like someone doing morse code on the electric wires, it's even louder than the fans. Never had one inside the house but a few in the car, enough to almost make me crash!
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
28 Jul 09
this year it's mosquitos,mainly because of the non-stop rains.
some years we have waves of certain insects,other years they disappear.
we had a bad fly problem once,i can't remember what caused it.but i was changing fly traps every other day and scooping large amounts out of the windows.
another year it was japanese beetles.usually they're content to hang out in yards by flowered bushes..but that one everyone was complaining of them getting in the houses.
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
2 Aug 09
they're like..long,black beetles..they like to bang on the ceiling and keep you awake at night.urgh..i'm grossed out just thinking of them.
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
29 Jul 09
Hi Scarlet-woman, agree the mosquitos are more of a nuisance than ever this year, I think it is because it was wet for so much longer than usual in the winter that when they finally came out much later than usual they've been more vicious.
I've never heard of a japanese beetle but hate getting any sort of beetle indoors.
1 person likes this
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
2 Aug 09
Now that is totally gross, how on earth can you handle that. The thought of them dropping into the food, or the bed. Imagine waking to find a big black beetle had dropped on you, I'd never be able to sleep if they were in the room. Isn't there any way of getting rid of them and keeping them out, that is just so gross you've put me off my coffee, I'll be checking the cup to see there's nothing fallen in
1 person likes this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
27 Jul 09
GOOD MORNING THEA, sounds like u have alot of what we do here. we also have old res wasps that really hurt if they sting u. Every year they want to get in my mail box & i have to down & spray it to get them out of there. don't want the mailman or mr to get stung. we also have bumblebees that also sting. OF COURSE THE DREADED ANTS are always around. I can do witout all of them as i'm sure u could to.
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
27 Jul 09
Hello ANTIQUELADY, Wasps are a nuisance, if they get inside they are too stupid to find their way out again but they tend to hover more if we are eating outside. Bumbelbees don't come inside, hey have too much to interest them outside buzzing round the wlld herbs. Now the ants luckily mainly stay outside unless a bit of food has been spilt and they smell it but the flying ants are something else. Maybe a few times a year they fly in at night enmasse, through the mosquito blind and suddenly the wall and floor will be covered with them. The only thing to do is turn all the lights off and go to another room after having closed all the windows. I don't know why they suddenly do this but they seem to target many houses at the same time. We sure could do without them all.
2 people like this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
27 Jul 09
Many people mentioned the flying ants but i have never seen one that i know of. Ants come in here whether there is anything spilled or not, the pesky things.
1 person likes this
@neelianoscet (9615)
• Philippines
27 Jul 09
In my country every rainy season their is a lot of mosquitoes and flies. They are eliminated by spraying chemicals which would kill them or drive them away from every homes. This are fumigation system done by the city health office to protect the lives of the community being victims of dengue, malaria and filiarisis. They are also lot of mother ants with wings and they are attracted to light. We close every open windows and doors, so that this insects would not enter our homes. Their are many lizard in the ceiling but usually they are afraid of my cats are eating them. Also, my cats eat the rodents and little snakes like crunchy bit of bones. This is how we eliminate insects and pest in our homes. Then we used insect repellent to drives them away. in this way our homes is clean and secure rom insects carrying diseases.
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
27 Jul 09
Hi neelianosct, I can undertand the extra precautions you have to take due to the diseases that your mosquitoes and flies spread, here they are just more of a nuisance. I've never heard of mother ants! I just couldn't keep every window closed in the heat, it would be unbearable, and something always manages to get through the mosquito blinds.
1 person likes this
@macdingolinger (10385)
• United States
28 Jul 09
Here there are what are called "love bugs" I do not know their real name. But in about May and then sometimes in the fall as well they are thick everywhere. If you drive in your vehicle for even a very short space, it is covered with the little black bugs. They don't bite or anything... they are just thick everywhere and on everything!
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
29 Jul 09
Hello macdlingolinger, I've never heard of love bugs but don't think I'd fancy them if they are as you describe. It's really strange the way different areas are so bothered by different kind of bugs, a lot of them here I don't actually know the English name for, I can't for an example find 'smelly beetles' in my Greek dictionary to translate it, they must have a real name but are just called smelly.
Shuddering thinking about your love bugs though if when you say they cover everything I'm thinking humans as well.
@macdingolinger (10385)
• United States
29 Jul 09
We have something called "stink bugs" is that perhaps what you are talking about?
