Just a quick post about some interesting bug experiences I've had lately. It seems like this time of year is definitely the time of year for crazy bugs--or else this week has just been unusually full of insect encounters. Here is a list of some recent confrontations. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of these creatures because I'm usually too busy trying to kill them to snap a photo. Can you blame me?
1. At Quinta Monte on Monday we were sitting outside in a pavilion-style building with a grass roof when a huge bug started running all around the floor. It looked like a combination between a spider and a scorpion, but instead of a curved tail it had two long horn-like things in the front. It was maybe about 6 inches long. I didn't do anything at first, but when it started coming towards our table I got up, promptly took off my chaco, and started to whack at it. Since it was so big it took a couple of good blows to finish it off. It must have been an unusual insect because one of the waiters came over and took a picture of the corpse with his camera. It happened pretty fast so I didn't get a very good look at it, but I think it may have been a camel spider.
2. The next day Emma, Kevin, Amanda, and I were sitting at the table when someone noticed a large spider on the wall. It was different than the usual daddylonglegs-like spiders that are constantly living in our light fixtures--those we have become so accustomed to that killing them seems unnecessary. They eat bugs, right? But this one was large, about the size of a half dollar, and flat. In my memory it was hairy, but that could have been my imagination. Regardless, it warranted immediate killing. It was up high in the corner between the wall and the ceiling so I gave Emma my flipflop so she could squish it (she's a lot taller than me). She couldn't quite reach it so she got on a chair and hit at it with the flip flop. What happened next occurred in the space of a few adrenaline-filled seconds and has become what I now think of as the great spider-killing relay of 2014. On the first hit Emma didn't quite get the spider and it dropped on the floor, scurrying away under the table. "I can't step on it, I'm not wearing shoes!" I yelled. Emma quickly dropped the flip flop she was holding to me. I caught it and lunged under the table to easily squish it with one well-aimed smack. It was pretty soft and didn't need repeated whacks like the camel spider. I looked up, laughing with relief, and saw that both Kevin and Amanda were standing on their chairs looking terrified. "Your crossfit skills really came in handy there!" said Emma. "One second you were standing next to me and the next second you were under the table." "Yeah, it was all a blur," I responded, "I was just acting on instinct." It was a spectacular example of teamwork at its best.
3. I feel like I kept my cool during both of the previous spider incidents, but I have to admit this next one freaked me out a bit. It was Tuesday evening and we were sitting outside under a mango tree in Professor Batana's yard, waiting for dinner to be ready. It was a bit windy and one gust blew a mango leaf down onto my shirt. Except it wasn't a mango leaf. I looked down and immediately sprang up, yelling some expletives as I tried to figure out what was on my shirt. Once Professor Batana had calmly brushed it off of me I was able to inspect the object that had landed on me. It looked like a flat caterpillar about 8 inches long with frilly stuff coming off of it. The closer I looked the more it became obvious that it was adapted to camouflage itself against the tree trunk. It was actually a wonderful specimen and I'm glad we didn't kill it. I wonder if I'll ever see a caterpillar like that again. I just hope it doesn't land on my shirt the next time.
4. Those three stories are definitely the most exciting, but every day here there are new bugs that appear. Just today a giant beetle the size of a quarter was hanging out with me as I worked out in our spare bedroom. The other day a giant bug with super speed crawled up our electric water kettle before I smashed it with my flip flop. The ants in our house are taking over. They crawl in our dishes, in our water jugs, and all over our floors. I've heard they go away once the rains start so I'm looking forward to that. Maybe some of the other giant bugs will go away too.
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