Jon,

For starters, thank you for taking this thread seriously, because I do. We all live in different places,environments, countries, and the critters world is part of them all ... different critters, different perks and problems, up to and including the potential for tragedy and epidemics. What have you got in your area???

You mention the mosquito, a nasty bloodsucker that these days is a carrier of, and injects West Nile, while it steals blood (and leaves huge welts on me that take forever to heal) and Manitoba has an especially tough problem (always) with them ... they grow bigger there than anywhere else, and there are more of them ... Manitoba is known for it's mosquitoes ... going back to settling days ... they've always been a problem, therefore must have been a problem before the province was settled as well. I hate them!!! I think there have been 26 cases of West Nile from Mosquitoes in Manitoba so far. (I'd have to check on those figures though) Mosquitos have ALWAYS been a big problem there.

I find it hard to imagine you running naked through your little woods ther Master Skagman ... but when I do, i find that image "unforgettable" (hard to shoot a mosquito isn't it?)

Karmen