30 September 2002

Bugs in France

Call me a fool but I had to laugh right out loud when the realtor in France told me there wasn’t any problem with bugs in here.  I had asked her this question when I realized there were no screens on the windows.

Here is why I laughed.  France is wet.  I don’t know the average amount of rainfall, but I believe it must be at least as much as Ohio.  Many places are marshy.  Others have been drained but were marsh in earlier times.  The winter is mild and the summers are pretty warm.   AND the first time I left the window open in the hotel (this was about February 7) a bug promptly flew in and buzzed around the room.

In March there were a few flies, and a mosquito.  It is now June and every day there are larger and larger flies and an occasional mosquito. 

At night I have wondered what we will do when it is too warm to leave the windows shut.   My darling husband can attract bugs if they are within 50 miles of him.  It must be his sweet disposition. 

I have fantasized of how to obtain screening…there is none to be bought.  Yesterday I discovered mosquito nets for over the bed.  I am going to be prepared for the worst.

After we hung the nets over each bed we stood back and admired how they looked.  The pink one over our 8 year olds bed makes it look like a princess chamber.  The rest of them look sort of romantic as they drape behind the bed.  These suckers will hold back even the smallest biting buzzing bug that can possibly exist.

This morning an American guy I see occasionally at the store stopped to ask me what I was going to do about the mosquitoes.  He said they are big enough to carry you away.  He offered some information about some stuff you spray around the room and then wait for an hour before bedtime.  Someone else stopped to join in the conversation and offered more information about a plastic ball that holds a disk that will ward off any bug at night.

I didn’t say a word.  We are ready.  My mom didn’t raise any fool.  I will keep you posted as to our success and give you a report at the end of the summer about who fought off the biggest bug.  In the meantime I am feeling a little prematurely smug since I managed to figure out that the bugs are bad here.  I guess I did learn a thing or two in Southeast Ohio.