One thing I was not prepared for in Plovdiv, was the number of bugs! I did my research before choosing this beautiful city, but no where did I see or read mention about all of the bugs I would encounter. Beware of the bugs in Bulgaria, the sheer number and size of these insects is daunting. Dang.
Bugs
I am not a bug person. In fact, anyone who knows me will understand my true feelings when it comes to insects of any shape, size or variety. I don’t like them. Period. I don’t like using the ‘H’ word and try to save it for situations that are truly horrible. Bugs are just about there.
Butterflies
Probably the insects that I can tolerate the most are butterflies. There are a lot of them here. I just don’t understand why there are so many butterflies in this city. I like to look at them, and I would probably not freak out if one landed on me, but only on my clothing. If it landed on bare skin, no bueno.
Beetles
What the heck is going on in this city?? It is a harbourer of huge beetles! Nasty, scary, and crunchy, they are everywhere! Of course, I only see them when I’m about to step on one. I presume they are in the trees and bushes otherwise. They are on steroids here, I’m serious, just gargantuan.
Ants
Walk along any sidewalk and you will see the tell-tale holes with dirt mountains surrounding the opening.
Don’t dare sit on a rock or grass, they are absolutely everywhere! I was wondering why don’t people take blankets and sit in the parks here? Well, its because of the ants!
Mossies
Oh, the bane of my photography, let me tell you. If I stop for even 5 seconds, in a shaded area near any type of foliage, I have a mossie trying to suck my blood. And they pack a punch, let me tell you. The bites I have gotten behave much differently than the ones at home. Here I will develop a huge swollen welt that lasts for about 4 days. It is incredibly itchy and hot to the touch. So swollen in fact, that I cannot even detect the point of entry, so I cannot make the embedded fingernail cross.
Bees
Everywhere. But for the most part, I have to say they do behave themselves. They are only really interested in the flowers. Do stop and smell the gorgeous Bulgarian roses, but check for bees first!
Others
Sooooo many other weird and wonderful bugs. Every day I am swatting, picking them off my shirt and trying to ignore them.
So bring your bug spray peeps, or purchase it here. I have seen it in almost every pharmacy, even common brands. It won’t help with the beetles and such, but it will with the mosquitoes. If you are just here for a day or two and are visiting tourist sites only, you will probably go unscathed.
And don’t google ‘Bulgarian bugs’, your skin will be crawling for hours. Ew.
