| current | archives | profile | notes | guestbook | photos | rings | contact | host |
|
Bugged by bugs 01 August 2003 ~ 01:29 Yesterday when Mark and I left work and went to catch the bus to Victoria Station, we both noticed that there were a lot of rather large ants, both winged and un-winged, crawling on the pavement. There were also many flying around in the air (when I say �big,� I mean bigger than your common, or garden, un-winged ants). Certainly, they were nowhere near as big as the carpenter ants found in North America, including Boston where Mark�s from.However, they were big enough to give me the heebie-jeebies. I couldn�t help harking back to an occasion two or three years ago when Mark and I were shopping in Bromley town centre, near where we live. When we entered the Marks & Spencer�s department store, everything seemed normal. But when we came out, there was a plague, an absolute swarm, of flying ants filling the air. It was awful, like something straight out of a horror film. They were everywhere, getting in your hair, on your skin; there was no escape from them. I was literally screaming with horror as we ran to the bus stop, and jumped on the first bus that came. I suppose the ants just gather together and swarm at a particular time during the summer. Since then, there have been other occasions when I�ve noticed a number of winged ants crawling on the pavement. But this was the most I�d seen since that day in Bromley. I was terrified that we would get caught in another flying ant storm. Those winged ants make my skin crawl. I stood waiting for the bus with my sweat jacket over my head to protect them entering my hair and crawled into a corner of the bus shelter. I felt like crying. I was so glad to see the bus when it came. Mark, meanwhile, was unaffected by them. Having seen and dealt with far larger ants during his lifetime, he stood out in the open air of the pavement, cool and collected, and laughed at the size of what he began to call �the British ants.� He even went so far as to pick up one of the flying ants, a large female. I could not believe what I was seeing! Again, the ants seemed large to me, but to Mark they were small fry, even though he admitted that they could seem large if you did not know about carpenter ants. I honestly hope that I never, ever get caught in a swarm of flying ants again. It really is something that freaks me out. I�m just glad the ants in this country are not like those in North America! The thought of winged carpenter ants sends shivers down my spine. Mark loathes carpenter ants too, having had many years� experiences with them while living in Massachusetts�even ones without wings. He is, in fact, petrified at the thought that one of those super-large mothers might crawl on him during the night. It�s a thought that genuinely freaks him out, and he openly admits it. He�s never encountered a swarm of carpenter ants, but I think if he was to write a horror novel, that�s what it may very well feature! Mark did recently show me pictures of carpenter ants on the internet and I must say, I felt flushed and got goose-pimples just seeing photos of them. They are truly scary creatures. But nevertheless, concerning the �British ants,� I would love to see ant swarm warnings on the weather forecast alongside a pollen count and the predicted weather. Rather, give me a plague of rats anyday!
 -  |
