A retirement video viewer wrote and asked about my reference to bugs and if big flyers and biters really were a problem – so I thought I would do a column on bugs but its expanded to two, there’s so many!

Yes, there’s baddies, and some certainly deserve a few digits being added to ‘bug****s’. Having visited Costa Rica several times, we were used to the mosquitos and ‘no-see-ems’ – tiny midges, worst at dawn and dusk, that hurt like hell. Repellants take care of both and, over time, we’ve become resistant and don’t react so badly.

But we knew nothing of the May beetle, until dozens invaded the house one night. They develop underground, emerge and head for light, buzz at door and widow frames for hours to gain entry, excrete their innards in the struggle and invariably die overnight.

A short and suicidal life! They are harmless, but buzzing around, they’re irritating, so we just close up at 6.00 and stuff foam strips in their points of entry.

We’ve also had a couple of invasions of flying termites that often swarm after a rainfall. Again, a shock, but easy to deal with – switch off the lights, get a bright torch at the doorway and usher them out!

Other beetles are occasional and often spectacular visitors, and not ‘baddies’ since they’ve no interest in humans. This ‘biggie’, most often seen dead and dessicated on a plant, is possibly some kind of rhinoceros beetle? The one above is probably some kind of longhorn beetle – we haven’t yet found a book that would help us to identify them accurately, but we’ve come to enjoy these critters with amazing markings.

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There’s no doubt on this chap though – a scorpion, the biggest and only the second one we’ve had in the house; actually under my chair; thank Heavens I had my feet up doing the crossword. The black blob on the left is his curled up tail – getting down on his level for a better shot wasn’t an option, he can move faster than John can!

Out gardening, two pests dominate – ants and bees/wasps. We love the industrious leaf-cutter ants but most of the others are hateful, especially tiny ants in the lawn – stand on an invisible nest and suddenly hundreds of the little blighters are swarming upwards to seek revenge.

Similarly with wasps that nest in fruit trees and rolled up leaves; grabbing these while pruning and we soon remember the easily forgotten advice to look first! That said, they must be nature’s finest architects … a grand abode Eh?

We’ve had plenty of advice never to touch caterpillars that are brightly coloured, some of these critters can cause painful blisters.

More beauties to come in next week’s article!

Written by VIP Member Sheelagh Richards. Sheelagh is originally from Scotland and her husband John who is from Wales are two inveterate British travellers who fell in love with Costa Rica, the beauty of the Talamanca mountain range and the perfect climate of the Rio General valley where they have established a small Bed & Breakfast called Casa de Los Celtas. You can see a free online video interview with John & Sheelagh Richards here.

You can see more about John and Sheelagh’s very affordable B&B outside San Isidro here and photographs and prices here.

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Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.