Amen! Keep trusting, Moriorver. God is faithful and just. "He will never leave you nor forsake you" (Deut. 31:6). Rest in His love. In Jesus' Name! 
Let's lift up 
Porelalix
Disciple of Prayer
I launched a new business in February 2023, a professional Training, Coaching and Consulting firm specializing in supporting clients to develop their competitive differentiation in the age of digital and software. My business is primarily online and I run it from home. My classes started in June 2023, and by mid-July, while seated at my desk preparing for my next class, I felt a stinging bite around my ankle. Surprised I looked down but saw nothing so I didn’t think anything of it and continued working. By the end of the day, I had a few more bites. This continued for the next few days and increased in intensity. Confused, I kept searching for what was responsible but couldn’t see anything. By the end of July it was obvious I had a problem and I began to research online for what could be biting me that I couldn’t see. I discovered the insects informally referred to as noseeums and began to cover my feet with socks to prevent their bites. Immediately they moved to biting my ears. I intensified my research and was shocked by what I found online. I called my building management - CRECCAL Investments, to ask if they had similar complaints but they said no, though I later found another tenant with the same problem. By September, the infestation was so severe that I began to have weekly fumigation of the apartment but this didn’t make any difference. At the first treatment, a few died and I could see them as black specks all over my counter top but the rapid rate at which they multiply (the females lay a minimum of 50-400 eggs, depending on the specie) and the time from laying the eggs to hatching is 2-7 days so you can imagine the rapid rate at which they multiply. It eventually turned out that only the first exposure to a particular insecticide or chemical kills a few of them. By the next treatment with the same insecticide, they would have adapted and would not die. The battle to get rid of them became so severe that I began to buy different chemicals to do my own fumigation outside of the weekly one my building was providing. My building’s pest control was not familiar with noseeums and had no idea what to do and so kept using bedbug treatment which yielded no results. By the end of 2023, my life had been transformed because of this infestation; I shaved my head (they infest the hair), I was wearing a head net, wearing turtlenecks and tights with socks to cover every part of my body because they would bite any exposed skin. Unfortunately I couldn’t cover my fingers, which I needed to type on my keyboard so they bit my fingers until I couldn’t endure it anymore and stopped holding my classes, essentially bringing my business to a halt. I kept fighting this infestation, spending my savings on every imaginable product that my research suggested could kill them all to no avail. Not being able to comfortably sleep, eat, shower or do anything that required coming out of my protective clothing, I threw away most of my belongings. On January 31st, 2024, I moved from Toronto to Fort McMurray with only some items of clothing because I learned from my research that they hate and would not survive in very cold regions. Lo and behold, some of them followed me in my luggage into my new apartment. Once I realized it, first thing the next morning, I moved all of my luggage to storage, the ones left in the new apartment not only survived but multiplied to severe infestation levels within 2 weeks. I went to see a family doctor but could not get help, frustrated, I hatched a plan to leave them behind in Fort McMurray so I bought a ticket to Calgary, an equally cold place. I left my apartment in Fort McMurray with only my bank cards, ID, and the clothes on my back. Before proceeding to the airport, I went to the mall and bought a new set of clothing, from head to toe, including my boots, and threw all the clothes I had on me into a carefully sealed plastic bag and wore this entirely new wardrobe. Incredibly, right there on the Calgary bound plane, I felt them moving all over my skin. When I got to Calgary, in frustration, I went to see four different doctors and could not get help. They said they could not treat something they could not see and there’s no guide to manage this problem in human medicine, in addition to that, they said Canada does not screen for parasites. Because of my last two experiences of apartments being quickly infested, I decided not to get an apartment anymore but to stay out of hotels and Airbnbs until I found a solution. While in Calgary, almost everyday, I went to the mall, bought a new set of clothing and shoes, went to the gym, for which I had obtained a membership, showered at the gym, threw my old clothes away in a carefully sealed bag but would feel the insects on me before I arrived at the next hotel. I never returned to my last hotel after getting new clothes and shoes so I wouldn’t reinfest myself. I was getting alarmed and in despair. Now understanding the severity of my situation, I tried to leave a public health warning and called Alberta Health and I was transferred from one office to another for hours without finding anyone who would take my complaint. Desperate, I decided to go to Nigeria believing that we have strong insecticides that could kill these insects, needless to say, they followed me to Nigeria and thrived. In Nigeria, I couldn’t go home to friends and family for fear of infecting them. Once again, I lived in hotels and Airbnbs just like in Canada. These insects seemed to love Nigeria and survived every single insecticide I sprayed on them. Some of the insecticides I used are so toxic that they had been banned but I managed to get them and still could not get rid of these pests. I began to use saunas and steam rooms and would find black dots on my skin after particularly hot sessions, this I imagine are the larvae or pupa? I don’t know and can’t get anyone to investigate it. Just before leaving for Nigeria, I had joined a Facebook group “I Hate Noseeums” to see what others had to say about the problem and I was horrified by what l saw and the fact nearly 300 people were fighting a battle they couldn’t win. When I joined on March the 12th or thereabouts, I was number 273, now there are 309 active sufferers, mostly from Florida and California. From the group, I understood that after Hurricane Ian, this problem started. Personally, my belief is that the natural habitat of these biting midges was destroyed in addition to the warming weather which has made it easy for them to move further inland. They have now taken to living in human settlements and are currently infesting human homes and bodies. They typically bite the ankles, ears, lower back, or any exposed skin and they also go into every imaginable orifice of the human body. The extent to which I have gone to fight this infestation and the fact that I still have it scares me. The fact that I have used up my savings and I am currently in dire financial straits with no help in view scares me. The fact that many people would not have the resources to fight this obviously spreading problem scares me. What would happen if a family got infested? Would they take a 6 month old to a sauna at 70 degrees Celsius and still go back home to a problem that just wouldn’t go away? I returned to Canada on the 19th of April, got an apartment in Calgary for which I have bought a bedbug heat treatment machine from the US at $3,365 and I can only pray that it works, I am awaiting delivery. I am shocked, confused, frustrated and afraid.
