By: Rita Butt

Even a few years ago, we had bees, caterpillars, butterflies, horseflies, earwigs, wasps, ants, hornets, June bugs, moths, ladybugs, shad flies, spiders, grasshoppers and mosquitoes.

Children used to play with bugs, not the stinging ones, but they would let nice furry caterpillars run up their arms, talk to them and stroke them.  

We would hold on to grasshoppers and ask, “Grasshopper, grasshopper grey, give me some molasses and I’ll let you fly away” and “Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home, your house is on fire and your children alone.”

We all had our ams and legs covered with bites and moths would swarm under every streetlight.  Today, I don’t think we even need screens.

I always figured my married name took the prize but some people are even named after bugs.

We knew a family called Buggy.  

Whether this was a bug or a cart, I really don’t know.  

One time, when I was working, one of my fellow workers was named Mr. Bugs.  

We all thought this was simply hilarious and when his wife was pregnant, we all submitted names for the baby, such as Potato.

I guess the reason for this shortage of bugs is mostly because most of us don’t live too close to farms anymore.  

Used to be you could hear horses neighing and cows bellowing most of the day and you were surrounded by fields filled with grasshoppers, snails, crickets and bullfrogs.

I know there was once a very famous gangster named Bugsy Seigel.  

It would be interesting to know how he was given this name.

People who immigrated were especially susceptible to bites and rashes from bugs.  

I guess there were different bugs in other countries.  

One of my neighbours was bitten by a huge horsefly while hanging out her wash.  

Eventually, she came over to see if I could help her as the bite was on her back.  

I couldn’t believe the damage.

Another of my friends went north during the blackfly season and was a real mess with bites all through her scalp.  

It is hard to understand why some people are more apt to be bitten than others.

Don’t forget, we didn’t have all these products to spray around for bugs and when we managed to step on one, we were told it would surely rain.  

Every family had one delegated swatter and everyone else had to roll up a newspaper if there was multiple prey.  

Pointed-toed shoes were great for killing bugs in corners.

There are a lot of things relating to bugs.  

One expression is, “Don’t bug me”.  This does not relate to flies buzzing around your head when you can’t find the swatter.  It is meant for the person you wish would buzz off forever.