A good half an hour in my mini garden…. I was slapping my exposed legs and whacking thin air in a futile attempt to fend myself from the fiends bent on taking a bite even through the thick pair of denims. Spotting one of my pots filled with the monsoon water, a slight push to this watery breeding ground of young mosquito larvae and the small brownish pot was easily overturned.
After much pottering amidst the yellow blooms and sipping in the beauty of the serene green stretch of lawn lining the cacti pots and varied climbers, I hurriedly made my escape from the buzzing monsoon pests to enter the comfy confines of my home. Ah! Several reddish wheals had made their unwelcome presence felt, forearms and ankles being the worst hit.
Safe! Safe! The relief was short-lived as I spotted another mosquito waltzing in one of the corners right next to the vase. A quick grab for the mosquito racket! And I was waltzing across the living room for yet another quick mid-air wham! A pop and the mosquito joined its gang of martyrs of the years gone by.
I headed into the kitchen to prepare soup to warm my insides. A few chops of teary onions with a cup of few veggies thrown hastily in vessel with water and flavour enhancers….. Voila!
With the huge mug of delicious home-made soup at my side, I began browsing through a few informative articles on the monsoons. I sighted news clipping ‘Dengue cases on the rise in the state.’ Aedes aegypti mosquito seems to have hogged the limelight once again. The tiny creatures that invade our spaces and launch multiple attacks had turned into fierce fighters for top spot. Competition was fierce as the anopheles mosquito was vying with its fellows to fare better.
The online travel guide advised tourists to adhere to several travel instructions. General public guidelines on keeping oneself malaria free or dengue free were the focal point of many online forums. From clean surroundings and avoiding water accumulation to using pants and long sleeved wear during the peak hours that these blood thirsty pests frequent, useful tips on using mosquito nets, rackets, etc were shared. WHO, with its popular slogan of ‘small bite, big threat’ had also stressed on the preventive measures of such vector-borne diseases.
I decided to call it a day before the peskies began to annoy me with their buzzing right in my ears. Who would like some of these peskies to be caught up in my tresses? Snaring them works fine for the eight legged web spinners. Not for me. I had my share of mozzies for the day!
