Friday, April 13, 2007

Costa Rica's State Bird

The state bird of Costa Rica could easily be the Mosquito. They swarm here and there are numerous public warnings about the dangers of dengue fever. We've had swarms of them in our apartment. We use little heated boards of insecticide to keep them out of the bedrooms. Nonetheless, Abi (our 2 year old daughter) was getting eaten alive at night. We now put her in winter pajamas, so her legs and arms are covered. I went on a mosquito killing rampage, clapping my hands to smash them in the air. I promised the kids valuable prizes for every palm presented to me with the bloody guts of a mosquito on it. Then I noted that the Mosquitoes often congregate at a window (especially in the mornings). So, I started spraying them with a bug spray. There were two problems with that: One was that the breeze would blow the spray back into the room (and my face). I was concerned about all of us breathing that stuff. Two, it left a mess on the window. Then I had a great idea (which I think was God’s answer to my prayer for a solution). Instead of bug spray, I now use Windex with Ammonia-D. (The dad in “My big fat Greek wedding” was right!) The Windex kills them, glues them to the window or screen and doesn’t streak! With a quick wipe of a paper towel, you get rid of the mosquitoes and leaves a wonderful shine! Since I started using the Windex, we’ve gone from 100 mosquitoes in the house, to 2 or 3. I thank God for Ammonia-D.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Most citrus type cleaners will work as well Bill. If you find a citrus cleaner that is "full strength" make sure you dilute it first....not only will it kill instects, but it will remove the skin from your hands. "Big O" is the brand I use to drop wasps, hornets, and yes even as large as bumble bees on contact. Pound for pound, it's probably cheaper too. Try using some sort of spray adheasive near the windows if it is availble near you. You may only have to "windex" once a week.

Be safe, and I hope this message finds you well.

Unknown said...

I mentioned above that I am bookmarking your blog for two reasons 1) to pray for you and 2)you minister to me. I want to add a Third. You are flat out one of the funniest people I have ever met and you write like you talk. When I read your blog it is like I can hear you saying those things. So, add a regular dose of humor to my reasoning.