Bugs in the house

Moth on refrigerator

Moving along with my theme of using some of my stockpile of photos, here are some bugs that have been in the house. No Latin names or good stories, just photos, but you are welcome to chime in with names if you like.

I don't mind these occasional visitors too much. Usually if it is a moth or something that I can catch, I put it outside. Surprisingly, we have very little trouble with mosquitoes, flies, or cockroaches inside the house. Apparently the geckos are eating them.

Too bad I didn't get a photo the time that we discovered a mama scorpion and about 50 babies when we moved some wood laying on the floor inside the house. We were too busy stomping to even think about getting the camera.

Ants can be such pests but they do serve their purpose. They clean the house of any crumbs or dead bodies instantly. The first photo shows some ants carrying off a dead beetle. The second, sorry, disgusting, photo shows them hauling off a dead gecko that was under the sofa. In the third photo, a tiny ant is valiantly trying to take that chicken feather home to make a feather bed.


Don't believe there is an ant there? Here's the proof:



Other times, I'm not so lenient and get out a bottle of vinegar and spray the heck out of them. These were some of those times:

In the dishwasher:


In the corner of the guest bathroom (they performed this invasion in one night between midnight and about 10 a.m.):


In the windowsill:


In the toilet tank:



Yes, the ants are pretty bad here in Honduras. Most of the serious invasions come when the weather has been very dry. I think that these black ants come inside looking for water.

Someday, I have to write up an article on zompopos, the one insect in the world almost as destructive as man. I have some great pictures.

Just as a teaser, take a look at this photo. You do not want to mess with these guys. They have come into the house a couple of times. When they do, we take the dogs and go upstairs and hope that they are gone by morning! Vinegar or citrus oil don't even phase them. These ants draw blood when they bite.

"Hasta la vista, baby. I'll be baaaaack!"