Bugs and Bats

The mosquitoes were bad in the summer. Now, with cooler weather, they seem to have disappeared.

Ants are around all year. In our first apartment, there were large ants at first. Dave sprayed one day and the large ants were replaced by small ants. I guess he used that special Mexican shrinking spray. The small ants were never persuaded to leave the kitchen. Very clean counters kept them in the walls but they always knew when to reappear. In this apartment, the ants just march along one wall in the living room and have not yet found the kitchen. It isn't because the counters are always clean.

Termites live in the wooden furniture and the doors. They don't make any noise and leave small piles of sawdust behind after their meals. Eventually, people learn to use tile for shelves and to buy glass tables and metal chairs.

Geckos come out onto the whitewashed walls every evening. Some are babies and all of them are cute. We see far fewer now in our winter apartment; whether it is the place or the season, I don't know. They do leave cute little droppings behind, like cute little mice. Geckos don't seem to dig in to the groceries, however.

Iguanas are around outside in the neighborhood. They have their favorite perches and sundecks and we know where to look for them. We were swimming last month at a local hotel that has a huge garden. Large iguanas inhabit the giant, spreading trees. A very relaxed woman was hit by both barrels from above. Iguanas have to go to the bathroom, too! Susan was in her room in the shower in one minute flat. She did not go quietly.

Big, leafy trees also shade the street outside our building. Falling avocados broke at least two windshields and dented a fender in parked cars. Children playing in the street were wary. Now that season is over and the bats are here. At night we see them darting about in large numbers and hear a quiet noise like rain. They are chewing on some tree fruit and spitting out the seeds. Everything is bat spit seed splatted in the morning - street, cars, windows. What a mess...