I have have had swarms of Black Flies, tiny little things barely visible to the naked eye, over the last few weeks. I am sure I must have swallowed some, even breathed some in because I didn’t notice them drifting into view before I realised how many there were.
Spotted some in my drink one day and so now I look carefully before each sip. As I make my coffee by pouring boiling water every so often through the filter of a non-working electric machine and then pour into my glass and heat in the micro, I have fortunately always used a small metal filter (one of 3 bought for the shower tray) because of the occasional small moth that got into the coffee jug, I immediately spotted the arrival of the flies there. But groups of 6 or more which have to be flicked and blown out each time. They are still about but more reduced in numbers now.
Then, yesterday I looked up over the kitchen sink and saw dozens of little Ladybirds crawling around the ceiling and walls. How to get rid without harming them I suddenly hit on a great idea. The cylinder vacuum cleaner is always empty because I always clean it out after each battle with dog fur so I reckoned it might make them a bit dizzy but do no harm. So, standing on a redundant caravan step (brought into the house specifically to capture and expel unwanted guests), and pointing the tube to the ceiling I sucked them all in one by one and deposited them all outside. Most flew away but some, obviously enjoying the experience stayed in the cylinder and had to be gently encouraged.
What’s next I wondered, looking around and then I had the briefest glimpse of a dark figure racing on the floor to disappear behind the fridge. I have realised in the past that it is impossible to guarantee a safe exclusion of mice so I just sighed and thought ‘there’s my next job, but not today’. 