While living in Korea, my arch nemesis was the mosquito. They were small enough to enter through screens, under doors, and god knows where else.

Many a night I'd be reading in peace, only to hear the soft hum of one of those cursed insects. They were so fast, the swatter was of little use.

One night, I awoke to the buzz of one of these aggressive critters on my ear...
that was it. I bought some Korean insect killer and kept it within arm's reach each night. Many nights were spent stalking the mosquito or large fly with the spray in left hand and the swatter in right. Even thus armed, I was often occupied for the better part of an hour before I could get in a good spray--to slow it down--and swat to finish the job. The Korean mosquito seemed to have an innate hiding ability that told it to avoid white backgrounds once I had the swatter in hand.

So I had to think like a mosquito and turn off the lights until I heard something, then illuminate the room and spray and swat. By then it was often past bedtime and my apartment smelled toxic, as I'm sure it was. But I had my kill!

I had to respect the little guys. They were so cunning and quick. And after a dose of spray, they still flew with the same precision of a North American mosquito. But I too had learned more than how to hold steel chopsticks and ask for directions in Korean (never understanding the response). I had become a skilled very-small game hunter.

Now in Timmins, there are annoying flies, but I have no assasine's spray (Heather wouldn't approve), so I use Windex to subdue the flies. Not so lethal, but these guys are amatures...they'll just sit on the window, so Windex is a perfect multi-task aid: just aim, fire, swat, and clean the windows. Sorry, but I only do the insides. The mosquitos aren't much brighter. Am I afraid of losing my swatting chops? Not really. As much as I love most animals, I hate flying bugs. So when the need for a higher performance level arises, I'll be there. Bet on it!