Healthy You:
What’s Bugging You?
by Kim Jones, Cary Medical Center
In Maine, there’s a crazy little dance most everyone knows
and it goes something like this: wave one hand over your
head, wave the other hand in front of your face, squint your
eyes, exhale through puckered lips (trying not to let out any
bad words), and spin around a time or two. I call it the Black
Fly Boogie or the Mosquito Mash…depending on the dance
partner.
From early spring through late-summer, spending time outside
inevitably means you’ll be dealing with a variety of swarming,
buzzing, and biting bugs. The little pests can make working in
the garden, hiking through the woods, or having a barbecue
in the backyard frustrating, rather than fun, activities. But
before you give up on enjoying the great outdoors there are a
few things you should know.
Bugs Are Our Friends
There’s a reason why that mosquito you swatted has ancestors
that can be traced back over 200 million years. It is part of our
ecosystem – that delicate balance of organisms that interact
with each other to create our biological environment. There
are all sorts of creatures that rely heavily on “pesky” insects
as their primary source of chow, such as bats, birds, fish, frogs,
and other insects. A break in this food chain would impact
other plants and animals, including humans. And this system
isn’t just about eating or being eaten. For instance, carpenter
ants, which are common in Maine, play an important role in
keeping soil healthy for vegetation by building tunnels that
allow air and water to circulate and by breaking down dead
wood. So before you smack, squish, or poison every insect
that gets in your way remember, they are part of a cycle that
helps sustain all life…including yours!
Stop Bugging Me!
OK, I understand that even though bugs are our friends they
60 County Health SUMMER 2011
can be really annoying. Fortunately, there are a number of
ways you can reduce your insect irritation.
•
Chemical warfare. For many people, their first line of
defense against outdoor pests is to slather on a commercial
bug spray. These types of products us X[ H