Bug Competition

Tim and I were at the farm part of the day yesterday to meet with the well guy (running water on the horizon, woo hoo!) and I couldn't help but notice how awful the gnats were. It was the first time that bugs have really bothered me down there and it started me thinking about bugs in general and then, more specifically, if I despise the bugs in the city or the country more.

It's funny how a lot of city people claim they hate the country because of the bugs while in reality, there are tons of bugs in the city also. And some pretty disgusting ones. So I decided to start a bug comparison, NYC vs. Frenchtown, in the form of this very scientific list below. I assigned points on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the most disgusting. I found this list quite comforting, in light of the possibility of moving to the country full time, which I think Tim is pushing for once the house is done. I'm still wrestling with that but at least I have my little bug scale to help preoccupy me.

NEW YORK CITY

Cockroaches (large) 9

Mosquitoes 4

Bedbugs 10

Fleas 6

Bees 2

__________________

TOTAL 31

FRENCHTOWN, NEW JERSEY

Mosquitoes 4

Gnats 2

Ticks 8

Termites 2

Daddy long legs 2

Stink bugs 3

Crickets -2 (they're cute)

Butterflies -5 OK, ok, that's not fair. I won't count them.

Grasshoppers -1 (also cute)

Caterpillars 0

Bees 2

Flies 4

Horse flies 5

_________________

TOTAL 29

And just when I was pretty sure that the country was going to win, Tim reminded me about the wolf spider he saw in the trash can. While bedbugs are obviously the most vile bug to ever exist in terms of the way they spread and bite you in your bed, they are not that disgusting to look at. They look disgusting, don't get me wrong, but roaches are way worse. The only thing more terrifying to look at is the wolf spider which unfortunately rates it a 9 (since it's not poisonous and doesn't invade your bedroom), taking Frenchtown's score to 38. So New York wins.

It was a close race though, NYC, and you should be afraid because next up is the Critters Competition and Frenchtown doesn't have rats the size of small dogs.

Check it out, a wolf spider. I got the willies just cutting and pasting that horrible image. uggh