The path was clean and smelled sweet, in fact we could have eaten our dinner off it but the pantry was now so putrid it made us feel sick to go inside. Something had to be done.
We took everything out of the pantry which was a large task because although it is a small room, it is much like Dr Who's tardis. Doc made remarks such as “Are you hoping to use this lot to barter with the barbarians as they rampage through the valley...?” I got to work with the disinfectant, explaining that there is nothing wrong with having a well stocked larder. (Although I have thrown out some jars of herbs and spices which had use-by dates too embarrassing to mention.)
Doc opened the window and it was then he noticed a yellow, damp patch in the corner of the windowsill. We lowered our noses and the smell was even more intense. Doc is a GP and said he had smelled the smell before. It was the smell of death....decaying flesh..... (who would be a doctor?)
With a little investigation on the internet, we discovered that it is not uncommon for small mammals such as mice to find their way into the cavity walls of a house, get stuck and die. Perhaps they are searching for cheese? Apparently, it takes weeks and weeks for a corpse to complete the decomposition process. So we have to let nature takes it course, or hire a builder to break the wall apart and retrieve the rotting mass.
Doc has installed blocks of activated charcoal and is researching some odour sucking crystals in the hope of managing the symptoms of this horrible problem. Currently, the contents on the pantry are in the dining room so we feel as though we are camping out. I am concerned that the fruit and vegetables from the garden will suffer in the warmth of the kitchen. The fridge is stuffed full!
On top of this, I was terrified out of my wits the other evening. I was reaching out for the toothpaste when I found a large insect crawling up the tooth mug. On closer, but very tentative inspection, the little critter appeared alien to me. It had a black body with a waist, lacy wings and bright orange legs. Sticking out of its rear was what looked like a long, nasty sting.
The words ‘don’t panic Mr Mainwairing’ came to mind, so I breathed deeply and coaxed the little beastie into a glass and covered it with a flannel. I carefully took it downstairs and although Doc was not visibly concerned, I noticed that he held the glass at arm’s length. He released the insect outside, slammed the door shut and we went to bed. I could not sleep though and was convinced this tropical killer had arrived via the supermarket shopping. It could have arrived in the bananas.
Next morning, Doc found the creature in the utility room so it must have crawled under the back door – though of course it could have been its twin. This time, there was no holding back. With a sharp tap, it was dead but not so squished that my TV CSI training could not be put to good use. I initiated a thorough investigation, beginning with the obligatory photographs and several searches on the Oracle.
I soon discovered that the offending insect was a Pimpla Instigator or ichneumon fly and there are many different species. They are totally harmless, nectar feeding insects but we are consoled that lots of other people have reacted in a similar way, with the same results.
Our visitor may not have killed us but it does have a rather grisly habit. The so-called sting is actually an ‘ovipositor’ and the female uses it to inject as many up to 150 eggs into a defenceless caterpillar. The grubs grow inside the caterpillar, gradually eating their way to the outside world. So, far from being a nuisance, our fly was probably killing off the caterpillars that eat the vegetables we are trying to grow!
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