Philosophy on Bug- and/or Spider-Killing

[violaine]

love entomology, herpetology, and arachnology-

interesting beings all of them, but here are some of the ones i can admire from afar-

ticks, mites, and scorpions [arachnids] are not great to find indoors- or in the case of ticks and mites, using their chelicerae to burrow or tunnel on humans or pets can spread infection [bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi / lyme disease].

digging wasps can be really worrisome for gardeners. i love bees.

info on wasp-hornet-yellowjacket-bee

http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4dmg/Pests/whatis.htm

cottonmouth water moccasins [pit vipers / hematoxic venoms]. i have been chased by these ill-tempered snakes on several occasions from water to land. luckily for me, they stood up to fight in the water giving advance warning to me and the dogs.

http://www.wf.net/~snake/moccasin.htm

[Emmy]

Nice to see that so many folks here let the spiders go! Ever since reading Charlotte's Web as a kid, I've been releasing them too, ha ha.

[Apocalipstic]

There are lots of poisonous and scary bugs, spiders and snakes in TN.

Spiders, if they are not Brown Recluses or something huge and poisonous, I just let them be...if left to my own devices, bugs too.

If it looks scary and Cynthia is around, I ask her to deal....she was a Nature Specialist with the Girl Scouts after all. Heh.

If, alas, I must deal with the bugs as I did several years ago when my then G/F was terrified of bugs and had to have them killed or she screamed incessantly....I got the 30 foot away wasp foam (or hair spray). I could then get far enough away from said bug to incapacitate it...proceeding from there with a swift burial at sea in the toilet.

On one occasion we were lying in bed when the shadow of a HUGE millipede flashed on the wall...hugeeeeeeeeeeee....while she jumped up and down on the bed screaming at the top of her lungs (and she had great projection) I threw the phone book across the room like a shirkin and trapped the thing, then I jumped up and down on the phone book for a good five minutes while she screamed "is it dead???". No, baby, it survived 220 lbs of fish jumping on it.

Once she called me at work (she worked an hour away) to tell em that a grasshopper was looking at her and trying to break in her car. Yeay...Good times.

[rockybcn]

Now who could squash a ladybug??? I can´t even think about harming the little beauties! For some reason I have to take a daddylongleg outside and release it too. Most other spiders are considered squishable! I have a thing about checking the insides of my shoes if they havent been worn in awhile....just incase one of those lil freeloaders thinks it has squatters rights!

[Ldyluck88]

I might sound terrible, but I cannot stand bugs or spiders, flies or any crawley thing!! I have been bitten many times by spiders and I swell up like a balloon as I'm allergic. I won't bother them if they don't bother me. I don't go out of my way looking for them, but heaven help the ones who do occupy my space!!

[sharkchomp]

Spiders get a free ride in the large plastic cup to the great outdoors, unless 'lightning' Scooby gets them first. Then I can find them dead, in a little ball on my comforter usually near my pillow. Thanks pal! In my last house, I had a little spider under the window sill above my sink. He (or his descendants) lived there all the while that I lived there.

Bugs usually don't have a chance in my house. If 'lightning' Scooby doesn't get them, then 'scootn' Vegas gets them - she dives onto them and scoots on her back across the floor, effectively squishing them without getting biten or stung.

Flying insects are [usually] effectively eliminated, although the troops occassionally sustain some casualties. If 'lightning' Scooby gets stung too many times, then he calls for the Commander [me] and I bring down the 'magazine' of death.

~~~shark~~~~~~~

[apretty]

øther:

i want E to kill the outdoorsy stuff that finds itself indoors (moths mainly, i've never even seen a spider in here) but le tigre takes things with his bare hand and releases them outside. *

*i forgot, once there was a bird that flew in the kitchen and landed on the coffee maker. E saved it.

[always2late]

I don't mind spiders....because they kill other bugs. But that also depends on the size of the spider....the small ones who build their webs in the corners during the summer I don't mind, because they take care of any mosquitos or flies that happen to get in. The HUGE ones I've seen out in my front yard....no, don't like them so much, and wouldn't want one in the house.

I don't mind bees, or ladybugs, or praying mantis....any other bug gets the rolled up newspaper smack or the foot stomp

[BornBronson]

I much prefer to open a door/window and let them outside.Of course if they bite me,I kill'em.

[Random]

I'm for peaceful co existance...

Except the blood suckers, black widows, brown recluse, and copperheads/water mocks...

I love bee's, have handled wasps, yellow jackets... I'm not alergic and I think a lil pain on my part is worth helping them out of the house..

I will try to shoo any flying thing out of the house.. even flys...

Unless you annoy me... If you annoy me, startle me, then more than likely you are dead...

I like spiders in my house and will put up with lil bites and the webs.. Until my kid come up with bites on his leg... then it's time to clean out the cobwebs and vacuum up all the lil dark spots and high spots..

Cockroaches? Water Bugs? Death on the spot and I'm doing a full clean to find out why I have them.. I will use sweet traps for you to take back to your homes...

Ants.. same thing.. find out where they are coming in and stop them..

I really do prefer to live and let live..

[MissItalianDiva]

Just the title of this thread has made me cringe..ugh. I realize they are a needed part of the ecosystem BUT in this case I am willing to jeopardize it if need be. I refuse to not have someone stomp on them

[1QuirkyKiwi]

I respect all creepy-crawlies, releasing them outside or rescuing from the cats, who just love to tease and squish...... lol!

There are exceptions to this for hygiene and health reasons: Flies are a definate No-no! I become a crazed woman furiously trying to splat them, when one is stupid enough to venture into the house - I keep the Spiders in the house to dine on them, lol!

Fleas are the other - they feast on my beautiful babies and make them itch and feel uncomfortable, then I commit Pesticide! ......Hehe!

One of my friend's gets me to empty her Slug Pubs because she freaks at the sight of the slimey little critters. I dutifully glove up and empty the pots for her to re-fill for the next lot of Slug-drunks, lol!

[Karysma]

I used to be an avid bug/spider killer.. as in 'get someone else to do it'. However after being with my spouse-ish as long as I have I have discovered their uses and realize that they are merely out of their environment. Now I am in the 'other' category... I would get someone else to remove them from my environment and take them outside.

I have an irrational fear of bugs and spiders. I don't think there is a chance in hell that I could capture one and take it outside. I have however been known to trap one under a bowl and leave it for someone else to take out at a later date!

I know there is no danger to me. I suppose I need to work on that damn fear!

[afrcnqueen]

I don't care for insects in any shape or form. Roaches make me Ill and my skin crawl and I will make an exception in their case by killing them...lol...everything else I grab with a napkin and take outside. People on the other hand...

[Rockinonahigh]

As a native born Louisisnanian I have seen some of the uglyest biggest bugs u will probly ever see...if u want to see an old butch move like Flojo just let a spider or snake pop out of nowhere cause im gonna be right behind Arwen geting out the door.Daddy longleggs are the exception as are lady bugs,anything else is termanated quickly.

[NJFemmie]

Kill Kill Kill!!
I do not like bugs. I do not like spiders.
I'm not going to sit there and figure out if it's poisonous or not - I smash it dead.
It's a big world out there - they don't need to be in my house.

[Queerasfck]

I don't kill. I catch and then train them for a pet circus which I am diligently working on in all my free time. They all have cute outfits that match which my lovely partner has hand sewn with fabrics made from fine organic materials we have gathered from our trips abroad.

[weatherboi]

spiders and bugs yayyyyyy!!!!

I am not a fan of the roach family at all!!!!!

[Graham]

Originally Posted by Emmy

Nice to see that so many folks here let the spiders go! Ever since reading Charlotte's Web as a kid, I've been releasing them too, ha ha.

I will smash a spider so damn fast....if it scares me....its OVER. I did that to a snake in my garden once I felt bad after I had chased it around the place I was getting ready to plant with the lawn mower....it scared me! Finally beat it to death with a rake and threw it out into the road to be run over.
I still feel bad for it....but man that thing scared the hell out of me.

[Rockinonahigh]

Bugs,snakes, critters and flying things have alllll the out doors to live in,my house No, not a chance..I use Anti Pest.