We become a blur of whirring hands if mosquitos become too much and we have failed to coat ourselves with insect repellant, writes Bill Fiander of Sydney. Photo by Heywood Yu /Regina Leader-PostArticle contentI try to help living things that may be in a dire predicament. From guiding wayward dogs, to a poor owl that crashed into our window a number of years ago, to hurrying a lowly slug along our walkway to remove it from the sun’s burning.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentArticle contentI feel some empathy for their plight. I also pick up snails that are in hazardous spots around our house – on the walkway or during those hot, dry days of summer where they have a chance of drying out.Article contentArticle contentI’ll deposit them in the bushes and out of harm’s way. I never met a snail I didn’t like. They’re quiet and don’t give you any guff. They just move along in a seemingly random trajectory. They know not where their path will take them. Something that is akin to our lives as humans, except we are sentient and we have a much better view of our surroundings.Article contentWe use that big brain we have to survey what’s in front of us to guide ourselves through the day. We usually see danger well in advance and can move along accordingly. The snail doesn‘t have our advantage.Article contentThen we have the mosquito. And I’m sure we often wonder, as we are swatting the ones that nibble at us on a hot summer’s day, while mowing that lawn with the interminable grass, why does this segment of the insect species exist?Article contentThey’re relentless.Article contentFinding the spots of bare skin through clothes and shifting limbs to remove that precious fluid we carry. We become a blur of whirring hands if they become too much and we have failed to coat ourselves with insect repellant.Article contentArticle contentOn hot summer nights, there is muted joy as we hear them get zapped by a bug zapper. There is a certain bliss if we see them on windows and we can crush them.Article contentArticle contentWe feel immense pleasure if we can slap them on our skin before they bite; proud that our reflexes are fast enough to take them out before they’ve inserted their proboscis. We are the ninja warrior in a forever battle. Yet the mosquito is battle hardened as its immense numbers overwhelm us like Genghis Khan’s Mongol army overwhelmed Asia. The mosquito is Khan unbridled.Article contentThen as we sit on nighttime porches behind screens that keeps Kahn at bay, we are thankful that we have found a refuge in this fight.Article contentAnd in this moment of reverie a lone housefly buzzes over our heads, flying in and out of sight, moving as we move.Article contentIt’s nuisance level almost on parr with the mosquito, but with less numbers and no bite. One of us moves quickly at it’s presence.Article contentA fly swatter whisks through the air removing one housefly from the nighttime equation of pests, even as the continuous drone of mosquitos wait patiently beyond the screen; drawn by the carbon dioxide emitting from our bodies.Article contentWe will tread lightly on this night.Article contentBill Fiander,Article contentSydneyArticle content
LETTER: The incessant mosquito
