I keep telling myself that bugs are necessary to this world. And in my head I know this, but in my heart…
Chigger season is coming to a close (thank goodness) and with all my heart I look forward to cooler days, and less, and eventually, almost, no bugs. Maybe the odd spider. I do like spiders, but they are not bugs. Technically. But then chiggers are not bugs, technically. But I firmly put them in the class of bugs, because they bug me.
Bug Season
No matter where you are in the world, there will be a bug season. Where I used to live in France it was flies in June. I was surrounded by agricultural land and cows, so flies were sort of inevitable. I then moved further south and traded flies for chiggers. But I will take chiggers over flies any day. (Maybe)
I do still get flies in June, but far far less. Closing shutters in the morning keeps them at bay, even away. So very, very manageable here. I had never heard of chiggers until moving in to my restoration home, so was much more prepared this year.
A Bug by Any Other Name
Chiggers are called Aoûtat here in France, after the month of August (août) which is when you can expect them to be at their munchiest here. They are harvest mites in the UK and some call them berry bugs. A great name as I have found I always get bitten by them when I go harvesting blackberries. (Still, a bug by any other name still bugs me.) These are technically mites, belonging to the spider and tick family, so technically not a bug. Though I might question that.
They are tiny. I mean microscopically tiny, measuring 400 μm (1/60 of an inch). At least they don’t carry disease or are really in anyway bad. Except they do bite. The bite is also tiny. But boy does it itch! Far far more than a mosquito. And the bites itching lasts a lot lot longer. So this year I deliberately chose to avoid going places such as fields and really anywhere grassy that may house chiggers. And my blackberry picking was limited to overhanging bushes that I didn’t have to wade into grass to get to. At least this is a bug you can avoid.
The Dreaded Mosquito
Considering mosquitoes, that’s something I don’t have much of. Actually, thus far, in the 3 places I have lived in France, Mosquitoes have not been a big thing. Thank goodness. They have increased the further south I have moved. But nothing compared to other places I have lived and visited. I am looking at you Sweden. Yours are the size of butterflies!
So far, in my now forever home, I seem to average 1, with the occasional second, per night. They are however very noisy. A sort early warning system. And they are generally slow. So not hard to catch. Still, annoying though. Wherever I have chosen to live, it has always taken the mosquito count into account. Yes, I factor in the mosquito population when choosing my places to live. Sorry Alaska, it will never be. A (small) factor in choosing to purchase a home in France was the mosquito count. On the whole, it’s pretty low. Bonus point France.
Seasonal Bugging Bugs
Thinking about chiggers had me thinking about other seasonal bugs. Scotland and midgies, New England and No See Ums (and mosquitoes), Southern Chile and horse flies. Every country / region has its specialist bug. Luckily they also seem to have a season.
In the meantime, I will encourage lots and lots of spiders. And birds. I also enjoy watching my bats. And my ducks. They all eat bugs. Thus these bugging bugs are a necessary little evil.
More Garden Findings
Now if you have read this far without becoming too itchy and would like to read more of my garden musings, please check out my other Garden Findings.
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