Annie Zhu - Q4 Blog 15 - Bug Bites

 



A long, long time ago, when I lived in the faraway land that is Texas, I suffered from year-round torture at the hands of fire ant colonies in my neighborhood.

menacing. credits: https://ipestpros.com/the-low-down-on-fire-ants-texas-ant-control-experts/

These things HURT! Just one sting from a fire ant would cause my flesh to swell into itchy, red, unbearable bumps. One once crawled into my ballet flats while I was out walking with my dad. I yelped, kicked my flats off, and trampled it at once, but not before the ant could get two bites out of my left foot. For the next week, I couldn’t fit in any of my shoes…

Unfortunately, I face similar issues with most other bugs. Mosquitos are simply dreadful: ants in California don’t bite, but these little blood-suckers are always tormenting me. Several of them ambushed me just a few days ago at Alameda Creek!

Still, if not for bugs, I would not have so many memories. That Texas fire ant may have traumatized me, but the details I associate with it—walks around the lake across my street, the aloe vera in my mom’s garden which she would apply to my bites, and other small things—make up a core part of my childhood. It’s like that song lyric: “only hate the road when you’re missing home.” The moment itself was unpleasant, yet recalling it makes me nostalgic because I am reminded of happier times, back when my biggest problem was annoying bugs. I have not seen my old neighborhood in years and can only preserve it through photos or my own brain, so I am grateful to still have remnants of the good old days. As much as I hate bugs, I owe them many of my favorite memories.

Comments

  1. Disha MurugupandiyanApril 17, 2026 at 11:29 PM

    When you mentioned getting bitten by fire ants, the first thing that I thought of was getting bit by countless mosquitoes on all of my trips to India. Although I haven’t been able to travel there for the past few years, I still remember how I would manage to get bitten dozens of times all over my legs, arms, face, and even my ears. As a kid, I would scratch them so much they would begin to bleed, and I would end up with my legs having so many bandaids on them like I had just fallen off of a bike. My cousins and I had gained such a big reputation for having blood that mosquitos loved so much that my grandparents installed this mesh screen around the bed we would use every time we visited them. Not to mention how much I would use the electric mosquito swatter that looks like a tennis racquet. My sister and I would always do a sweep around the room right before we went to sleep. Somehow, we would still end up with at least 3 or 4 more bites in the morning. At that moment, my biggest worry was: How can I get these bites to stop itching? I understand what you mean when you say that the moment itself was unpleasant, but recalling it makes you nostalgic. While India may not be my favorite place to visit since my body is incredibly sensitive to heat and humidity (I had such bad headaches last time I visited I had to get an MRI done), it still holds a lot of memories from my childhood which I wish I could go back to, especially during this time of tough academic school work. I would do anything to go back to that time when I didn’t have to worry about anything during the summer and could just watch TV all day.

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  2. Atharv DuaApril 18, 2026 at 10:10 PM

    The mosquito net market in Central and South Asia has been absolutely skyrocketing (I’m sure this is true for some other regions too) because one literally cannot get a wink of sleep with 100s of them swarming rooms. My worst experiences with insects have been with mosquitoes (though I imagine, from your description of fire ants, that they are just as bad): I still vividly remember my seven year old self refusing to go outside because my entire arm was covered with mosquito bites. I really like that you connect them to good memories, though, specifically of the “good old days” where our biggest worries were insects. Even in nature, many ecosystems rely on mosquitoes and other insects for food: even though we find them irritating, they are indispensable in certain ecosystems. In your writing, I think your anecdotes and relatable tone make your blog simultaneously much more interesting and helps us feel the pain you tell us about caused by the fire ants. Thank you for an amazing piece!

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  3. Josh KarthikeyanApril 22, 2026 at 7:36 AM

    Hi Annie, I am amazed at how you are able to be positive about insect and bug bites. To me, whenever I got a rash from a bug and obtained a “memory,” it would be a memory that I wanted to forget. However, hearing how you use these memories to have “remnants of the good old days” reminds me that bad memories can still have good parts. For me personally, while I do not remember many rashes or bites, I do remember the fear I get when I see a scary bug. That fear is unforgettable and still reappears to me every once in a while. When I see that creepy crawler, I get flashbacks where my brother and I had to think of a way to move the insect or bug out of the house and into the outside world. I always wonder why the bug (usually a spider) has to stay in our house and the chances of that happening. But, when thinking about it in your lens, Annie, I at least got to share these moments of fear and annoyance with my brother. One could even argue that I gained teamwork and collaboration skills for the sole purpose of ensuring that the spider never comes back into our house. Thanks for this blog, Annie!

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  4. Casmin BuiApril 22, 2026 at 5:13 PM

    Hi Annie! How was the weather in Texas? I know there’s a huge stereotype that Texas is just desert and yee-haw… and I often fall suspect on this as well because I’m not well experienced in any state other than California. I have always wanted to go to Texas though because I have close family there and they like the weather a lot. They said the weather there depends on where you go because there’s wet regions and dry regions. Which area did you live in, and did you ever travel to the other regions?

    I guess fire ants do earn their name for their bright red color and their menacing bites! I appreciate that you like these little things, because honestly I can’t find a huge reason why I like bugs. Especially mosquitoes as you mentioned, too! Last year I went on a trip to Vietnam, and the mosquitoes were everywhere!! I wholeheartedly believe that mosquitoes favor a type of blood over another (I’m not sure about the science behind it) because they always attacked me like crazy, compared to my dad who usually has a few bites compared to what seems like hundreds on my arm. And I’m sure you probably have experienced this as well, they are so uncomfortably itchy! I really admire how you view your experiences with bugs though, maybe I’ll grow to like them a little bit more just because of the nostalgia they bring. Wonderful blog, Annie!

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