Halloweeeee!!!

I love Halloween. Seriously. Halloween means I get to take Frankelton out of his box and dust him off and I can string that fake cobweb stuff EVERYWHERE. I get to scoop out pumpkin guts and carve all sorts of stuff and make a costume from nothing.

The US Census Bureau has lots of fun things to report about Halloween, such as:

- There are an estimated 36.4 million treat-or-treaters that hit the streets each year in search of candy and mischief; however, the number of trick-or-treaters has been on the decline (down 381,000 between 2003 and 2004) - I blame all those moms who also forbid Harry Potter.

- 998 million pounds of pumpkin are produced each year. That's a lot of pumpkin guts for me to scoop! Plus, Ohio is one of the largest pumpkin-producing states, with over 70 million pounds.

- There are 1,790 candy manufacturers in the US that crank out $19 billion in candy goodness every year. Consequently, the average American consumes about 25 POUNDS OF CANDY in a single year. Disgusting and delightful.

I think this last fact is best summed up like this:

Noxiously Infested

According to the University of Kentucky's Entomology Department, my current uncomfortable situation is not uncommon. I do find comfort, however, knowing that many others are suffering my plight:

"Large numbers of lady beetles (ladybugs) infesting homes and buildings in the United States were first reported in the early 1990s. Ladybugs normally are considered beneficial since they live outdoors and feed on plant pests. One species of lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis, can be a nuisance however, when they fly to buildings in search of overwintering sites and end up indoors. Once inside, they crawl about on windows, walls, attics, etc., often emitting a noxious odor and yellowish staining fluid before dying. In many areas of the U.S., these autumn invasions are such a nuisance that they affect the quality of life."

I can certainly attest to the nuisance factor; likewise, I have witnessed several of the aforementioned phenomena: crawling about on windows and walls - oh yes. Lots of crawling. But let's not limit the crawling to these areas - we mustn't leave out that they also like to crawl on computer monitors, water bottles, and in my hair. So, crawling about - check. Emitting a noxious odor - definite check. However, the putrid smell that had overtaken my corner space is now being minimized by a lovely lavendar oil stone. Thank you Liz Bonny, valued friend of the DevComm team. Yellowish staining fluid - let's give them some time, but I have a hunch that this will be arriving soon. Dying - we can only hope for and eagerly await this part of the life cycle. Affecting my quality of life - triple check. See comments on crawling (particularly in my hair) and noxious odor.



After considering these observations and spending my morning in the presence of the wintering critters, I feel confident in condemning the Rural Action VISTA loft as a lady beetle infestation site.