I know that some were overjoyed when we had heavy rain a couple of weeks ago. For them it brought relief from the heat of the summer. However, the rain did provide ideal breeding conditions for one of the worst of the summer pests – mosquitoes.
Whenever it rain like that, pools form. then the sun comes out and the mosquitoes lay their larvae in the water. In order to feed themselves during this breeding frenzy they go on the attack providing misery for those they choose to bite. The poison they inject is an anticoagulant which stops the blood from clotting as the insects feed. Unfortunately it leaves behind a fluid that itches like mad and in some cases causes a severe reaction.
If it is bad here in Bigastro, between the two lagoons near the coast it is even worse. The urbanisations on the way into Torrevieja suffer horribly and have to be sprayed to eradicate the problem on a regular basis.
On some of the beaches in Torrevieja last week, great clouds of the insects could be seen and the toilets became unusable - not what the council were hoping for in the middle of the tourist season.
Now there are hopes that the council in Torrevieja will build an observatory where they can monitor the situation and anticipate plagues of mosquitoes, cockroaches and rodents before they arise.
The fact that I got bitten last week and again on Saturday is my own stupid fault. We have citronella patches that are very effective and cologne that still works well to keep the insects away. Stupid me, I forgot to use them!
This was the worst of the bites just above the ankle on my left leg. Strangely though, it didn’t really itch that much.
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