June 13, 2002 - The buzz about those bugsThe Suffolk Times • June 13, 2002
LETS TALK ABOUT BUGS — some
good and some bad or, let's. say, some
more irritating than others. What
brings this subject to mind is an inci-
dent that occurred recently down at
the dock. The wind had dropped off
after we came in from fishing and, as
usual, we like to
do the messy
FOCUS work of cleaning
ON fish away from
the house, so we
NATURE clean them at
by Paul the dock. The
Stoutenburgh fish were small
bluefish that had
been running in
the bay and we figured it wouldn't
take foo long to clean them.
However, this time they were cleaned
much more quickly because we were
invaded by what some people call
"no- see - urns" or what we call gnats.
If you have ever tried cleaning fish,
with the resulting messy hands, as
gnats attack you from every angle,
you get some idea of the problem.
They find their way into your ears or
under your glasses, just about every-
where your body is exposed. You
can't swat the gnats because your
hands are so messed up with fish
scales, etc. It becomes a tortuous job
and one you want to get through with
as quickly as possible.
Gnats have been with us a long
time. They usually appear when the
weather becomes hot and humid and
the wind drops off. It seems the beach
and around the water are their
e buzz about
those bins
TimesReview photo by Barbara Sloutenburgh
Yellow jackets eat a variety of foods, from fruit to insects to bits from your out-
door barbecue. Usually, if left alone, they pay little attention to you but if dis-
turbed, particularly around their nest, watch out, for one yellow jacket can
sting you many times.
stomping grounds. I can well remem
ber when we went camping, we'd
always be invaded by them when thf
wind stopped. But then, at least, you
could swat them. I relate these inci-
dents for the reader who, I am sure,
could top these tales with stories of
their own when insects took over.
While we are talking about being
attacked by gnats down at the dock,
that's the place you're likely to find
greenheads, those big biting flies tha
seem to.find every exposed spot to
chew on. These greenheads, or marsh
flies as some call them, slit the skin so
that -it bleeds, then they proceed to
lap up the blood. That's why they hu
so and leave such a welt. They are
always around the dock and when we
get in the boat, they follow right
along. We actually carry a fly swatter
with us to zap them. Of course, with
grandchildren aboard that becomes a
real challenge. They get a big kick out
of swatting the greenheads.
We find these greenheads around
the salt marshes because that's where
they breed. It's all part of the world
we live in. I often think of the native
Americans who lived here and how
they must have had their own ways to
keep away the gnats and flies. Today
we have insect repellents that when
used properly, work well. The night
we cleaned the fish at the dock we
had forgotten our bug spray and paid
dearly for it.
Another time insects took over was
when we were camping in Michigan.
It had been a hot ride and we looked
forward -to cooling off in some crystal.
clear lake. We came to the perfect
lake outside a little town called
Christmas. Here we could get relief
from the heat of the day. We all got
into our bathing suits in the comfort
of a small camp trailer we had at that
time. As we stepped outside, swarms
of small black flies engulfed us. We all
raced tot the water and jumped in.
Still our heads were above the water
and they were attacking us from all
sides. We were never so devastated by
flies as we were that day. They were
so bad that we literally had to get out
of the water and rush back into the
camper to get away from them. I'm
sure our kids will remember that day
as we do, for it was literally -a panic
situation. No wonder we found the
lake all to ourselves!
Right now we are in the midst of
the deer fly or black fly infestation.
They are usually associated with
woods. I call these little black flies
"dumb flies" because they continually
come back to let you swat them
again. You can usually hit them as
they are not that quick at getting
away. They are more of a pest than a
problem. They're most irritating when
they buzz around your head, particu-
larly when it's hot and you're sweat-
ing, like when you're working in the
garden. Once they light on you, they
are usually easy prey. A quick swat
with your hand does them in. We'll
have to put up with them for about
two weeks and then-they'll be gone
until next year. .
Soon in our back yards and around
our barbecues we'll see yellow jackets
starting to move in to claim a share of
the picnic goodies. Right now the
queens; which have wintered over, are
looking for a place to build their new
nest. It's usually in the ground, or it
can be in a building or in the siding of
a barn or shed. Once they start nest -
building, they slowly increase in num-
bers until there's a full force of hun-
dreds of yellow jackets seeking a mea'
of fruit, insects or any other protein
they can find, including your choice
It's not a hard job to find where
these yellow jackets have their nest.
Just follow their flight. To get rid of
them I get one of the special wasp
sprays you can purchase at your local
hardware store. Then during the
night, when they are inside and calm,
I empty the can into the opening and
immediately cover it over so they
can't get out. Usually you can take
care of them in that way. When
they're in buildings it's a bit more dif-
ficult, but spray does work and if you
work at night you can get rid of them.
The problem with yellow jackets is
that they can give you more than one
sting, whereas the little honeybee can
sting you only once. Yellow jackets
sting continually. So if one gets in
between your clothing and you swat
it, it will keep stinging you.
It's very unlikely you might be
stung by a honeybee, as they are usu-
ally more interested in collecting
honey for their hive'than in stinging
you. But occasionally you might sit on
one or one will get caught in your
hair or under your clothing; then they
will sting. Honeybees leave their
stinger in your skin, where it contin-
ues to pulsate and pump in more irri-
tating liquid, making sure you get a
good sting. The best way to get rid of
the stinger left by the bee is to scrape
across the top of it with your finger-
nail, thus pulling it out. By the way,
the sting kills the honeybee. It gives
its life when it stings you. Pretty hero-
ic in the bee's world but not so heroic
in our world.