The Uprising of the Critters

Rainy season? Yes. All kinds of tropical creatures trying to find new homes inside my house?

YES, YES, YES. 

One of my friend's in Canada mentioned to me that with the rainy season there'd be more mosquitoes. That may be true, but did he have to burst my bubble and have me start THINKING about it?? I was quite blissfully happy before that with my rain "long" boots and all. I actually declared a few days later that I don't usually have problems with mosquitoes and didn't see an increase. I apparently didn't knock on any wood as I was saying that - and spoke too early!!!  Mi ah ded fram mosquita now!!!! Last night there were FIVE mosquitoes inside my mosquito net. This, because I had opened one side to lounge on the bed while using the laptop, and of course where there's opportunity, there's mosquitoes flying under the net.... SIGH

And sure enough one day my housemate found a mouse in the house!!!! Now, most of you know, where there's one.... sigh again. But that one met an untimely death, and we hoped against hope. A couple of weeks later, there was another. I took action, and we didn't see any for a while again. But, I know at least one came back. I hope he SUFFERS. Whatever happens, I don't care, but he must learn not to mess with big people! But, you know... rain is falling and they're looking for higher ground and warmer places. In addition, there's a bunch of construction going on downstairs, across the street, etc. So, I'm sure their nests were disturbed and they're trying to find a new home. WELL, NOT WITH ME!!!!!! It ain't gonna happen!

Sure enough, I took out the garbage late one night, and once outside in the yard I noticed a bunch of very large cockroaches running around. Now, I'd never really seen any this size, and RARELY seen any inside this house. BUT, no. Things don't like to just end there, so naturally a few days later I saw a few in the shower which had obviously come up the drain. This is not gonna end well for some...

Living under a mosquito net...

When I was a very little kid, I have one or two memories of a mosquito net. I don’t know if my mom was just being protective of me as a baby, but, mosquito nets seemed to disappear from my life. Until now.

Tied up above bed

During prep to come to Guyana, I was told I’d be getting a net (Dengue Fever and Malaria, remember?). I remember hating them before and I thought of this claustrophobic feeling I could possibly have. So, I was not looking forward to it. I got here and of course there was one at the guest house. It was tied up in a knot above the bed, hanging from the ceiling.  Much like this===>

THe first night, I untied it and let it drop around the bed, and my room-mate coached me and let me know that I had to tuck it in under the mattress. Otherwise, mosquitoes fly up under it… and other creatures crawl, slither, slide… need I say more? So, lesson learnt. Tuck tuck. But, I still didn’t like it. L

How round net hangs from ceiling

I moved to my house and discovered that the net still was not working for me. I was awaiting a new one, but even so, it just wasn’t working. First of all, I realize, I was trying to fit a square (relatively speaking) bed into a round net. Now you know what they say about the pegs and the holes. They’re right. It doesn’t work. But, nevertheless, I was trying to make the best of an awkward situation. I finally got my new net and tried to get it prepped for installation. I had to soak it in an insecticide that was to prevent bugs, etc from even wanting to “knock” on its door. Goodie! I let it dry, then looked at the one that was hanging, to see how I was going to get this one up. Now, there was a hook in the ceiling, and the net had a round top – reinforced by some kind of wire. And four strings equidistance around the circumference of the wire that came together in a knot and then hung from the hook.

Square net. Yay!

My new net didn’t have any wire, so I just grabbed the four ends of the strings and fashioned some knots and tried to now take down the old net to put the new one up. But, there was a little bit of a vertical challenge. Hmmm. Needed help… So I called in reinforcements from my bredren and he took one look at my handiwork and was literally on the floor laughing. Apparently I had tied it wrong. I couldn’t understand what was sooooo wrong about it – a knot for a mosquito net is simply a knot!!!! But, it seemed… I had a square net at last. Now, I’d never seen one, so had no idea how they worked. He advised, organized and soon enough (several weeks later), my new net was UP!!!  He thought it was pretty cool, and I didn’t understand why… but now I GET IT. Man, whoever designed a round mosquito net was trying… phase ONE. The square net is the REAL DEAL. Love it!!!!  Now I don’t have to deal with any skewing and touching me in the night.

I’ve learned (thanks Roomie) that I can’t just barely put the ends under or the net will sag and touch the bed.

Sagging net. No good. :(

It has to be taut. Standing on it’s own like my own little castle around me. MOSQUITOES be gone! 

Net tucked right. :)

But, with all of that, I still have some questions. If I soaked this thing in insecticide, then why do mosquitoes still laze around on it like they’re on the Sea Wall lyming? The second thing is this… Imagine me tucking in 3.25 sides of the net. I have to leave a little crawl space on one side. I duck under, and while in bed, try to grab the ends of the loose side to tuck them in. This is easier said than done. And, imagine lifting this everytime you want to get in and out? And no matter how much I tuck, when I awake, the net is t-r-a-i-l-i-n-g on the floor. Why is this? Are there some super creatures lifting it out? WORSE if I have the fan oscillating around me. It does not stay put!!!  So, what’s the point? How do I get it to behave???

And finally, if we’re worried about dengue and malaria, and supposed to apply SHOO (our famous body insecticide here – not OFF) every evening, and reapply, and reapply… but, I haven’t been doing so, and have many bites on my arms and legs anyway… THEN WHY AM I FIGHTING THE NET AT NIGHTS???? I’ve already been bitten!!!!!