Vapi -- A Year in Bugs

Even though the seasonal changes are less pronounced here than any other place I've lived, the insects definitely have seasonal preferences.

First of all -- I'm surprised by the lack of insects in general. I had been fearing being completely overwhelmed by creeping, crawling, and flying critters. Maybe it's the degraded environment in Vapi, but "bugs" are far less of an issue here than they are at our home in the middle of the woods in Virginia -- especially in summer.

Mosquitoes

They carry malaria and dengue fever, and obviously should be avoided. They were mostly a problem in February and March in the evening and at night while sleeping. By April they had mostly disappeared. We spent February and March slathered in DEET for sleeping. We have screens on our windows, so there were only 2 or 3 in the room, but they seemed to have voracious appetites. To my surprise, they became more of a problem as the puddles dried up and temperatures dropped. And they spent the day hanging out in our shoes (which get left outside the house). Different.

Ants

Ants are the bane of my life in India. They really appear to like monsoon. We moved into our bungalow well into monsoon, and ants found any food on our counters in less than 10 minutes. As monsoon ended, the ants disappeared. They re-appeared in April. Every food item that has been on the counter has to be inspected for ants, although they seem to have a preference for wheat flour and sugar. (Gotta get those carbs!) Fresh fruits and veggies don't seem to be too much of a problem.

These are tiny ants -- they can get through the threads of a screw-top container. Only perfectly sealed containers like Tupperware keep them out. That's why I keep everything in the refrigerator. If I need to let a dough "rest" for an hour or so, I have to put the bowl in water so that ants can't get to it. Otherwise, I'd have some extra protein in my roti!

Spiders

Yes, I know they're not insects.

Spiders are around, but they really aren't too bad. They are mostly around the windows. Manageable. Besides, they eat insects.

In addition to spiders, we have a family of lizards (chameleons?) that can also feast on our abundance of ants. (But do they? I don't really know.)

Bees

I really haven't seen any bees, but we have a massive hive hanging outside one of our windows. Fortunately, that window is on the stairs, and we don't open it! I've seen lizards hanging out on the window -- maybe bees are a delicacy.

(For more on the bee hive, see the next post.)

Roaches

I saved the best for last. Roaches, too, seem to like moisture -- they hang out in the bathroom, not the kitchen. These are not your ordinary German cockroaches. These are HUGE -- about 2 inches long and 1 inch wide. I really should take a picture, but usually I'm too freaked out to go grab my camera. They weren't too bad in the "winter" (December though April), but have really popped out in the last month.

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So there you have it -- insects through the year in Vapi.