b is for bugs

Ok so maybe at this point you're thinking: aren't you Australian?  Don't you come from the country that has more deadly critters than anywhere else in the world? Well, yes I am and that's exactly why I have to do this post!  Australian critters get a bad wrap because they're deadlier but I must say they're almost cute in comparison to some of America's bugs!  I want to take this chance to talk about the American bugs that I've personally come across and briefly mention the vast difference in pesticide use.

Tarantula:

Let me start by saying, despite seeing the deadly 'terrifying' redbacks on an almost daily basis in QLD, nothing has scared me more than seeing a tarantula! It was in the desert over Christmas when I encountered one and I remember how my chest seized at the sight of it!  At least the size of my hand, complete with thick and clearly visible hairs!  EW I can't even write this without cringing. I guess everything is bigger in the US...

the exact one we saw! the 'rio grande gold' pic thanks to thehibbitts.net

Which brings me to: the daddy long legs!  

Actually here they're called grand-daddy long legs and they're bigger than Aussie ones as well as DISGUSTING!  Australian ones are very unoffensive (and seriously cute) in comparison.

pic thanks to templebiomimetics.com

Next has to be scorpions.  

I'm oddly not as grossed out by these and almost feel proud that I've had a personal encounter - once again in the desert over Christmas.  These guys are somehow entrancing to watch (from a distance of course), the most beautiful of all the insects (or are they spiders...?)

the 'Arizona bark' that we saw, pic from wikipedia.com

Chiggers:

The next bug I have to mention is one that I've only recently become aware of, since a colony of them have made themselves at home on our outdoor dining table!  They're called chiggers and can be equivocated to Aussie sandflies but again, are WAY more disgusting.  These guys are the size of a tick but look and act like crabs!  Luckily they're bright red and easy to spot - their one redeeming quality.  They burrow into your flesh and lay eggs that then hatch and eat their way out - all the while causing irritation, unbearable itch and sometimes infections or allergic reactions.

pic from chigarid.com

Then there's ticks.  

American ticks are different to Aussie ones - and there are more common varieties.  So far I've seen four different types - the deer tick (which is giant), the white grass tick (which grows to the size of a grape but fills with white liquid as it sucks your red blood? (Go figure) and makes you nauseated), the cayenne tick (has a star on it's back) and lastly a microscopic sized black tick that even when full of blood is only the size of a grain of salt (these guys were all over Baxter's snout once - I counted more than 60!).

Hornets.  

No more needs to be said here - other than plenty of people are allergic to these scary giants.

Just like the ones I used to see in Atlanta!
pic from theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com

Now about pesticides:

The most remarkable difference is the use of pesticide in domestic situations.  Back in Aus, despite the dangers that lurk, I'd never heard of anyone spraying their yard against bugs (other than fire ants) and at school we just had to live with ants that occasionally bit us on the sports ovals.  But here in America it's a very common practice to spray the crap out of every patch of grass likely to make contact with humans!  I'm talking homes, schools, city parks, even popular walkways in certain cities have pesticide warning flags billowing the beware announcements.  Nobody tries coexisting with bugs - they just eradicate them.  I prefer our Australian approach of common sense that enables people to live alongside all the world's most deadliest critters simply by shaking out shoes before putting them on or checking the undersides of outdoor furniture before taking a seat in respect and caution.

pic from raginggardeners.com

Pic thanks to myveronanj.com