While I have my own house, I by no means live alone. Houses here are not so impermeable as those back home. My windows have wire mesh for keeping out mosquitoes, yet the lizards, cockroaches, and termites find ways in!
I have to laugh, because when visiting Malawi last year and picking souvenirs, I opted not to buy a pair of salad tongs that had lizard shaped handles, because I had not seen any lizards.
There are at least three species of small lizzard here in Namwera. Only one of the three ventures into the house. It seems more salamander like and sensitive to the sun. It is light brown with pinkish toes . Outside, I've discovered them under rocks, but mostly I see them in door jambs running up and down my walls in the evenings. These little "bulu" apparently are very fond of toothpaste, so I was warned to keep my toothbrush so that they couldn't lick it, because there saliva is toxic for humans. I think they would make a cute cartoon character. Right now it is the season for baby lizards! They are such cute mini lizards!
There is a darker brown lizard similiar to the toothpaste lizard that I see scurrying outside, but most commonly, there is a black lizard with white stripes down it's back and the bigger ones have vibrant blue tales! I saw one lizard that was around 6".
The termites or "chiswe" are a big problem here. The man, "Johnny the Carpenter," who came to clear them out of my house said it did not used to be this bad. He thinks it is due to habitat loss as people move out into areas where it used to be wild and so termites and people are competing. I have read that guinea fowl will eat them (and snakes!), so my reasons to get a flock are growing!
This jumbo bumble bee was upside down on my steps the other day. I love watching these guys. They either gave really bad eye sight or bad navigation skills as they are always bumping into things and frequently knocking themselves out. I surmise that this one has flown into my door and fallen down. Once down, if they land on their back, they can't flip themselves over. One flew into the library once and it took me ages to catch it and let it outside. Once outside, it promptly flew into a concrete pillar!
Here are some more fascinating insects:
Comments