HOPE ME BUGOLOGISTS
September 19, 2018 3:14 PM Subscribe
When should I celebrate this year's Great Bugpocalypse?
Like a lot of places, it's been a gross, hot, humid, buggy summer here. Let's take it as read that I understand the ecological necessity of bugs and celebrate their place in the great web of life, but fuck summer and fuck bugs.
Sometime soon, nighttime temperatures will drop low enough to kill off this year's crop of necessary but horrible awful and need to die screaming bugs, or at least drive them underground in their shame at their own being and for whatever deeds in past lives brought them to this low place. My goal is to, on the appropriate night, sit down with a nice mug of hot cider or hot choclety milk and toast the their demise by the zillion and then settle down to enjoy several months of blessed peace outside.
The question is, when is the appropriate night? The first night it drops below 45F/5C? Below freezing? The second night below freezing? Yes, yes, I know that all bugs are differently horrible and that no answer will suit for all possible bugs, just a best general guess will do.
Like a lot of places, it's been a gross, hot, humid, buggy summer here. Let's take it as read that I understand the ecological necessity of bugs and celebrate their place in the great web of life, but fuck summer and fuck bugs.
Sometime soon, nighttime temperatures will drop low enough to kill off this year's crop of necessary but horrible awful and need to die screaming bugs, or at least drive them underground in their shame at their own being and for whatever deeds in past lives brought them to this low place. My goal is to, on the appropriate night, sit down with a nice mug of hot cider or hot choclety milk and toast the their demise by the zillion and then settle down to enjoy several months of blessed peace outside.
The question is, when is the appropriate night? The first night it drops below 45F/5C? Below freezing? The second night below freezing? Yes, yes, I know that all bugs are differently horrible and that no answer will suit for all possible bugs, just a best general guess will do.
Best answer: I would go with the first night that the temperature drops below 25F/-4C. That's the temperature at which most plants will die back, and I assume that it goes similarly for insects. Alternatively, I would go with the first day where I woke up and there was a nice solid coat of frost on the lawn.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 4:56 PM on September 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 4:56 PM on September 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: thanks y'all!
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 4:14 AM on September 20, 2018
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 4:14 AM on September 20, 2018
Best answer: This is more about catharsis than science, am I right? Then I'd definitely second A.O.A.N.L's.A.,T.'s suggestion to wait for the appropriate visuals: a nice coat of frost. Hot Cider seems like a good idea, and some Russian Romantic symphonic music at full blast.
posted by Namlit at 4:41 AM on September 20, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Namlit at 4:41 AM on September 20, 2018 [5 favorites]
Response by poster: Calling this morning officially Close Enough. Thanks. See you in May, you horrible-but-necessary critters.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 4:52 AM on November 14, 2018
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 4:52 AM on November 14, 2018
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posted by sanka at 4:54 PM on September 19, 2018 [1 favorite]