Raining Bugs

The rains have finally arrived. A week ago we suddenly had 28mm on one day, followed by 38mm the next. But it is still a very unusual rainy season. After two days of rain we then had sunny weather again. We had to wait another week before the rains returned and yesterday we had close to 32mm. But as it so often is here in Kenya, one place can have floods and right next door things are still dusty and dry. On the other side of the lake by the mountains of Melili we saw big storm clouds with flashing lighting a number of evenings. They are definitely getting more than their share of rain! Meanwhile 20 minutes drive away they have only had 3mm of rainfall and the grass is still as yellow as ever!

Storm Clouds over Lake Naivasha

We were doing the cement roof for the administration block and, although we desperately wanted and needed rain, we also could have done without as it damaged a lot of the work that had just been completed. In the end, the only way we could finish the work was by building a tent with plastic to protect the cement from the downpours.

Protecting the Work from the Rain

With the start of the rain we have suddenly been inundated by beetles. We haven’t seen that many beetles for years! By the next morning the ants were having a feast on those who had been unable to get away during the night.

It starts with one beetle…

and soon you have a beetle infestation!

Despite all the beetles we are seeing at the moment, it amazes me how few insects we have in Kenya. It was completely different when I was a child. We used to have hundreds of moths flying around the lights, sausage flies, and many different kinds of beetles.

Colours of the Rainbow

I can remember huge moths with big eyes on their wings, or the tiger moths. I can’t remember the last time I saw one of them. Even the small moths were amazing if you took the time to admire the microscopic detail on them, the wide variety of wing formations, the different colours, the diverse antennae.

But those days are long gone. Even when we drive in the evening, rarely does an insect splatter on the windscreen. It used to be like an entomologist’s dream, looking at all the different bugs plastered onto the grill of the car. But now, nothing!

Powerful Mandibles!

I wonder what has caused the decrease in the insect population. Is it the pesticide that people use on the farms? I remember visiting Romania in the twilight years of Cauchescu’s reign. Western Europe was much like Kenya is today. Lights in the garden attracted few insects. But in Romania it was different. They may not have had many lights in the cities due to the lack of electricity or people’s inability to pay for such a luxury. But bugs, there was no lack of them! There were millions of them: big ones, small ones, some that made a great racket in flight, some drab, others with different colours, some with vicious looking mandibles, others so small you could hardly see them.

At the time I thought Romania may have still had all the insects because Cauchescu had impoverished his nation so much that people could hardly afford to farm, let alone pay for fertilizers and pesticides – completely different from the way things were in Western Europe. Perhaps that gives a clue to the changes here in Kenya.