I thought about the title of this topic as I didn't want to put anyone off by calling it creepy crawlies. My biggest fear when I'm out in Corfu are the big wasps, I have to admit that I don't recall seeing that many around Arillas, but over by Kassiopi I saw loads of Wood - type wasps. Why is it they always aim for me and choose my bottle of Amstel to settle on!!! So because I have this fear I find myself running off and screaming at the poor defenceless beetles, (the large black buzzing things you see around, they may be bees but I don't get close enough to find out!). I know they are harmless but its the buzzing I don't like.
Onto nicer creatures, the frogs in the stream, the lizards (as they eat the mozzie's), the cicadas, ( I love that sound), the gecko's, the fireflies!!! well can I say more, roll on next week, I can't wait to see this little creatures glowing.
So I suppose for all the lovely things I get to see in Corfu, I'll just have to keep on running and screaming!!
I'm the same Hels Bels!
I have such a fear of wasps and can severly embarrass myself in public sometimes by running and squeeling like a mad woman. ! :lol:
Dont worry im in the running whilst squealing gang!! But also arms are a flailing too trying to flap the things away from me, Brett just laughs at me and says how stupid i look!
I dont care, i just have to get them away from me, they always seem to divebomb my head and buzz right in my ears, cannot stand it!!
But the fireflies i do love, it looks great when they are all flying around.
Hels Bels, well thats at least 2 of us that will be running and dodging about next week, I hate wasps and those huge black buzzing things. The rest of the little criters are lovely. Viv
I've found a brilliant website where you can download a pdf file and print it off.
Really informative about the wildlife on Corfu
http://www.geocities.com/corfuwildlife/birds.html
nice one.Ta. Viv
Oh i'm not too fond of the little creatures but when i was about 10 or 11 i used to run around by the pool planting enormous crickets/grasshopper or whatever they were right by my Mum when she was sunbathing hehe.
One thing i do hate though are the pesky little mosquitos i get eaten alive its awful. I got a bite infected last year it was painful. I love going to see the terripins down at the malibu bar though and the tortoises by the back of Kaloudis. I have a verry funny storry about the terripins when i went a few years ago i was quite young then hehe.
xxx
Ps.This is my Dad's account that im using!
i'm a live and let live type of a bloke but i'm afraid that doesn't extend to wasps
The big black Beetles are calle Boubalas and you have something that crawls out of the ground it's called the Onion eater,sally thought a good title for a book The Boubalas and the Onion Eater,but thats as far as she has got
Thanks for that Harold, I can sound really impressive to my mom when I tell her about them! I'll await for the book to hit the stores!!
We were sitting in the Coconut bar last year when a cricket landed on Kieth's shirt, my goodness did us girlies jump!. I would have cried if it had landed on me!!!
My hubby woke one morning last year and found a cricket sitting on his chest looking at him. It was very funny for me, but he didn't half get a fright!!!! (i think the cricket did too).
Arillas wild life
http://www.arillas.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/wildlife.htm
Well, so far so good. I`ve seen many Bouboulas,1 manic Flutterby, and one very tubby Hedgehog!! Bfn.
Im laughing at all your funny stories, but I'm just the same & I hate those big black buzzy things as well. My biggest fear is snakes. I have read that there are several species in Corfu [ only one is poisonous ] Has anyone spotted any in Arillas. I have seen one which fortunately for me was dead/flat/ squashed on the road near the Gallini - I think I would probably faint if I saw a live one, so on most of our walks I do avoid long grassy areas & climbing over dry stone walls !!
Hels Bels - I think we are on the same flight next week. 6.40 am from B'ham. I'll have to get up at about 2.30am - not worth going to bed really because I know I won't sleep
I have got to admit that i am no help whatsoever to my wife when it comes to creepy crawlies! I cannot stand any of them and would run a mile at the sight of a spider or cockroach!! The first time i went to Gran Canaria there were Cockroaches everywhere and for the whole holiday i slept with a pair of socks on and a rolling pin next to my bed as i had a horrible thought of them crawling between my toes!! aaaaarrrrggghhhh i hate them!!
I hate all creepy crawlies especially spiders. If we get one in the house i freak out and my feet are straight up off the floor.
I haven't seen any snakes in Arillas but can remember walking in the Canal D'Amour in Sidari (the quieter Part, or it was 10 years ago)! and a snake slithered across the road just in front of us!
We saw alot of cockroaches in Lanzarote, there one was in the kitchen drawer with the tea spoons - yuk! Imagine rumaging around in the middle of the night looking for a spoon and picking one of them up - it makes my skin crawl just thinking about it.
pg, my other half is just as bad as you!
I hate spiders too yet I've had to learn to try and capture them by putting a glass over them, slipping some paper between the glass and the surface the spider is on, and then once it is so captured, taking it outside and letting it free. It makes my skin crawl but I don't like killing them because the awful mess they make is even worse! (Also they don't really do any harm.) And Colin is worse than me!!!
In Croatia last year there were big flying bright-green beetles that buzzed and flew into my hair - that freaked me out somewhat! Maybe these are similar to the black buzzy things in Arillas?
Lynn/colin using the glass and paper option is, well, basically not an option for me!! I find a heavy catalogue or magazine is the best option to use!! As for Cockroaches they actually make me feel sick! In Gran Canaria one fell off the ceiling and into the sink while my mate was having a shave!!! He nearly p****d himself and cut his chin in the process!! We spotted this little kitten round by our complex chasing and eating them so we bribed the kitten with biscuits and let it have the run of our bungalow and garden area and it used to eat the roaches and keep us safe!!
Ha ha I know you what you mean about the heavy catalogue, it's only that I'm even more squeamish when they're splattered!
Will remember the tip about cats if I ever have trouble with cockroaches!
L
A magazine works for me too if hubby is not about, but it goes straight in the bin so I dont have to look at the mess!
Wot, the magazine as well, Shuey??!
Must admit that is what I do with wasps - flatten them, and as for slugs and snails in the garden, they go on the bird table!!!
A couple of years ago at the Bardis hotel the children found a bat asleep on the floor of the bathroom. After a lot of shreecking they went and got Bobby from next door to remove it. Have never seen any snakes but often here rustling in the undergrowth, always tell myself that it is just a small geeco.
Yes afraid so... even if i haven't read it. I just have to make sure its not one of hubbys car magazines.
We get alot of snails leading up to our front door when we have a good down poor. I do try and move them out of the way but sometimes I do hear a crunch when I have stood on them oops!
I couldnt shut the front door one night so I gave it a good slam and didnt think anything of it until the morning, I opened the door and a frog was laying over the threshold sort of flattened like a Tom and Jerry movie... poor little thing and I had to get Mike to remove it.. yuck! They have lots of frogs in Arillas that make a racket - I shall have to make sure they dont get stuck in the aprartment door!
Went up to the top of Mount Pantokrator last Thursday (10th May) and there was an absolute plague of black flies or something everywhere. It was so bad we quickly took some photos and drove away, once you had descended a bit there were no more flies. Felt sorry for the "tour de corfu" cyclist who had slogged up to the top and presumably eaten quite a few in the process.
Anybody know if the flies are always there or it was just bad luck?
Saw the fireflies on the beach in Arillas, this made my holiday as I have never seen them before. But during the day hardly any insects, and no trouble in the apartments except the odd mozzie easily dealt with by those plug in insecticides. Lots of frogs croaking at night, and the odd brown lizard seen.
The Fireflies where a fantastic sight to see, they seem to pulsate across the fields. Saw Frogs, Toads, nearly stepped on a snake on the walk up to Afionas (only a little one!). Swallowtail butterflies, crickets, shrikes, even a flock of bee eaters flew over and one landed on the telepgraph wire, absolutely amazing! Didn't get to see the Hoopoe though (Viv did the lucky thing).
I couldnt belive that hedgehog, it looked so different to the ones over here, but it was great to see. Viv
Forgot to say, we saw 3 hoopoos and had never seen 1 in Arillas before, has anybody else. Viv
We are so jealousa about the Hoopoo's Viv, that was the one thing that my mom wanted to see.
Never mind maybe next time.
Whats a Hoopoo!!?
I was wondering that. Thought it was a typo- hippo haha!!! but no Hippos in Greece!
Hoopoe - Fact File
Upupa epops
Scarce passage migrant.
On passage mostly found in coastal fields, dunes, golf courses, etc.
Combination of pied and pinkish plumage and long crest unique.
26 - 28cm (10.5")
Hoopoe
Whenever a hoopoe is reported it attracts a throng of admirers. The remarkable black and white tipped crest, when elevated like the headgear of a Red Indian, conspicuous barring of the back and broad wings, together with vinous head, neck and underparts make the bird unmistakable.
Hi Viv
Are you related to Bill Oddie by any chance?
Amanda
Errm no dont think so. But Pete does like looking at birds ;-) Viv
He went to my school in Birmingham!! In fact he was rugby captain. Scrum half apparently. I don't suppose you are very interested in that though.
Nick