Pagan Journeys
General Topics => General Chat => Topic started by: Zlat on September 27, 2011, 11:51:00 PM
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I'm curious about everyone's methods regarding unwelcome household critters (ie. bugs).
Taking into account my respect of the life and role of living things, I do my best not to kill any spider/moth/cricket I find in my home and try to release it out the doors when I'm able to catch them. I'll admit, earwigs, centipedes, potato bugs, mosquitos and cockroaches do give me the jitters-but luckily I haven't seen any of those lurking around my home yet.
I do take a personal affinity to moths and spiders and the spiders I tend to let roost if they aren't anywhere bothersome, moths I try to traffic back outside where they can better survive. In my former residence, my cat usually took care of all the bugs-but the hubby is allergic so she's living with my parents yet.
Does anyone else refuse to kill the creatures, or am I just an oddball? My husband thinks I'm nuts because I won't allow him to squish any kind of bug in the house if he sees them! :whistle:
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I'll try to catch and release spiders, crickets, moths, and mosquito hawks, if it seems like it's worth the effort. In most cases in the house I'll just leave them be. At the dance studio or out in public I will try to catch and release the bugs that seem to be freaking other people out.
I have a funny little ecosystem going on in my house... there are spider webs in some corners, and the spiders eat some of the little bugs, and then the geckos eat some of the spiders, and then the dogs eat some of the geckos. Of course, the dogs also eat some of the spiders and little bugs if they can catch them!!
Ants get no quarter from me, but then I live in fire ant country. I spray to keep them out, and set bait traps when I do see them in the house. Palmetto bugs, mosquitos, and cicadas also get no quarter, and I will kill them if they get in.
My dogs are big on bringing in critters from outside (we have a dog door). They bring in things like june bugs, cicadas, toads, even a snake. Usually they'll kill and eat the bugs, and play with the bigger critters till I figure out what they're doing and take it away from them.
I love my dogs. Really... ;)
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I release spiders, etc. if they get bothersome because I feel its bad karma to squish and in fact, I don't allow my mother who is a big-time squisher to squish insects or spiders in my house. Of course, if bugs get into the flour, I do go after those to keep the cupboards and food clean. I also enjoin the cats' help to get rid of pesky house flies I can't catch. They are built to take care of those. :D So no, you aren't weird-- you respect life.
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If they're in my territory, they're dead meat.
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I'm not sure I could handle snakes (obviously I couldn't really squish them...). I love them, but they steal freak me out if they're too close.
Note to self-do not install a doggy door.... :whistle:
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As long as I can identify the spider as a harmless species I'll leave them alone if they're small or possibly relocate them to my plants where they can hang out to their heart's content.
If they're the larger wolf spiders that frequently skitter across my floor I'll grab the glass and paper that I leave out for just such situations and relocate them outside where they belong. I might get a good look at them first to see if they have babies on their backs (one really good reason to not squish them) but I'll toss them into the bushes.
If it's a spider that I recognize as harmful to humans (rare in my area but I have seen three black widow and one brown recluse) they meet my booted foot pretty quickly.
I've had praying mantises invade my house (babies) that were relocated to the bushes and I'll ignore clicker beetles.
Ants I'm currently in a war with and I'm about to get some professional ant baits so I can send their scouts back to the colony as my little avatars of Death. Crickets? I love the sound crickets make...when there's hundreds of them and they're chirping from the woods. The one lone solitary joker in your room at o-dark-30 chirping his butt off however must DIE!
Most bugs in the house get dealt with harshly.
I do use and am very successful with the humane mouse traps that capture and allow you to release them. As long as you drive at least a couple of miles from the house they will not come back. Best bait is peanut butter cups or a mix of peanut butter and chocolate. Never fails.
Snakes are like spiders. If I know they're harmless I'll just relocate them. If they're a poisonous (and there is only one species in my area that is) species then I'll take out the shotgun with the snake loads (lots of really fine shot) and send it off to meet it's maker. But only if it is in the area of my house. If it's hauling for woods then I'll let it go. Heading to the house...kaboom!
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If they're in my territory, they're dead meat.
This is pretty much how I deal with it.
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For the most part, I just leave them be. Flies either get eaten by the cats or swatted. Spiders either get left alone or taken outside when possible. Ants are toast if they come in. We also get wasps finding their way inside and they are goners when I find them.
I'm more than willing to share my space as long as whatever it is is not dangerous or destructive. Outside and in, though, if something gets ON me, it just forfeited its life. Personal space is personal space and as much as I try to respect all life, I just don't like the creepy crawlers all that much and getting on me or in my face (as spiders especially tend to do) is just nature's way of thinning the herd.
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Crickets? I love the sound crickets make...when there's hundreds of them and they're chirping from the woods. The one lone solitary joker in your room at o-dark-30 chirping his butt off however must DIE!
:lmaocry2:
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I used to try relocating the spiders. Anything else..nope, in my territory, they get as much mercy as they show me when I am outside. These days, since the Kidling swells like a balloon from spider bites, I usually need to permenantly remove them.
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No bugs in my house, thank you. They die. :D
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to me it all depends on if the bug is deadly if not i tend to set them free or let them be with the exception of cockroaches they all gotta go because they multiply to fast and take over.
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I release them if I can, I do insult them for being stupid enough to get into the house to begin with. I tell them, " Heck did you see my last paycheck? There is nothing to eat in here, try the neighbors." The bugs are normally in agreement and grateful for the advice if they have had time to check out the house.
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:rotflmao:
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:laughfit:
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I always take the bugs outside or let them stay in the house--unless they're dangerous. I don't like it when other people kill bugs and sometimes I cry when they do. Once, I had an autistic meltdown in school when I told someone not to step on a bug and he stepped on the bug, and my special ed teacher made it worse by telling me I shouldn't waste my time on bugs.
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:squeezes: Bugs are very cool. Most people don't realize how cool and beautiful they are, but you do. Your special ed teacher should come back as a bug. :crazylaugh:
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YES! She's really nice to people, but she just doesn't understand that bugs are special, too. Maybe she can come back as a bug and someone like me can save her.
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hahaha the teacher back again as a bug!
Personally, i dont mind the occasional bug. I tend to leave them alone. The filthy bugs like flys, skeeters, and whatever else get rudely reminded that it's my space... and I tell them better luck next time. SQUISH :D
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I always take the bugs outside or let them stay in the house--unless they're dangerous. I don't like it when other people kill bugs and sometimes I cry when they do. Once, I had an autistic meltdown in school when I told someone not to step on a bug and he stepped on the bug, and my special ed teacher made it worse by telling me I shouldn't waste my time on bugs.
That reminds me of when in elementary I took a Junebug to School in a Dixie cup, I thought it was the coolest thing ever and created quite a stir with my new pet. The teacher confiscated it from one of the kids admiring it and promptly tossed it out the window. The other kids protested that it was my Junebug to which the teacher replied, " I don't care if it's the President's Junebug, this is my classroom and no Junebugs allowed!"
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What a cruel teacher..
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Hey, she tossed it out a window. It lived. She didn't splat it!
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Yes, at least she didn't splat it. The story reminds me of one of my teachers. The assignment was for the kids to find some little creature in nature and bring it in. One kid brought some frogs in an aquarium. The kids were beyond thrilled when someone noticed they had laid eggs. The dope of the teacher was freaked out and made a big show of throwing the eggs in the trash! :brickwall: Now what kind of teaching was that?
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The kind that helps raise kids who turn into adults who think animals are "things" to own, be conquered, and are disposable. :brickwall:
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The kind that helps raise kids who turn into adults who think animals are "things" to own, be conquered, and are disposable. :brickwall:
I have to agree. That was terrible, imo
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Reminds me of the story in the news a few months back where a little girl was bringing her new pet turtle on a plane and everyone said it was ok, but the stewardess said no and placed the little turtle in a trash bin in the airport!
Luckily, one of the airport employees rescued the little turtle and brought it home to his own little boy. When the father of the little girl went back to the airport looking for the turtle, the airport employee gave it back and the dad of the little girl was so touched that he bought the boy two new turtles that were the same species.
In the end some human/animal rights attorney picked up the case and made a HUGE fuss about it.
Because... you know... 2 inch long turtles are definitely a flight safety hazard on domestic flights... :shifty:
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2" long turtles are illegal, for starters... :whistle:
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They're pet-store bred :D I think they grow to be about 6 inches, but baby ones are pretty tiny?
Not sure, I never had the chance to keep turtles before hehe.
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FDA says it's illegal to sell turtles with a shell size of under 4". :) It's a pet peeve of mine - the little mall kiosks that used to sell baby turtles and hermit crabs to people who had no clue how to care for them (those sliders end up with shells the size of dinner plates...) and the animals are the ones that suffer and die from the impulsive purchase. :)
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The kind that helps raise kids who turn into adults who think animals are "things" to own, be conquered, and are disposable. :brickwall:
I have to agree. That was terrible, imo
Yeah, I never quite got why the teacher would have such an assignment, the point of which was supposed to get kids to notice these creatures and learn something about them, if she wasn't into learning about them herself. :wtf:
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FDA says it's illegal to sell turtles with a shell size of under 4". :) It's a pet peeve of mine - the little mall kiosks that used to sell baby turtles and hermit crabs to people who had no clue how to care for them (those sliders end up with shells the size of dinner plates...) and the animals are the ones that suffer and die from the impulsive purchase. :)
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Ah that would make sense. I used to want one of those hermit crabs too :D
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The reason why little turtles are illegal is that they carry salmonella in the folds of their skin. They are actually a health concern.
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The cute ones are always bad for you :whistle: