The insects we hate!

[MexicoKaren]

OMG Karen, living in Mexico sounded just perfectly perfect to me, UNTIL JUST NOW!!!!

But hey, this big bug doesn't bite people - only other bugs! He is a little creepy looking, but I am happy coexisting with any bug that doesn't bite me. And this is a very shy creature. Mexican friends we talked with last night say that they love having them live in their kitchens, because they keep the bad scorpions away. I'm not sure about that, I think I am glad he is in the yard, not the house.

 

[luvs]

i hate bugs. japanese beetles & ladbugs i despise- they're attracted to my wool & land on me in crowds.
skeeters just annoy me.
i got bit by them lately & itch like crazy.
spiders i try not to smush, & if they're in my sink or shower & i get them wet, i try to dry them. except for black fuzzy jumping spiders or wood spiders. then i scream for Dad or jake or my brother. i haven't seen a spider yet here in pittsburgh.
now junebugs- they terrify me. i scream when i see junebugs land on me or if they fly by my ear buzzing away. they like wool, too. i get kinda hysterical. dagnabbin bugs.

 

[jpmcgrew]

The skeeters in our neighborhood are just terrible.
We can't sit on our deck after dark. Citronella candles don't do anything except give the darn things light so they can see where they're biting!
I installed two ceiling fans on the front porch that help keep them away.

Try this I can't because we don't have it bad with mosquitos let me know if it works. I got this in an Email a while back so the messed up writing came when I scanned it. Let me know if it really works.
Subject: UNIQUE SPRAY FOR MOSQUITOS
The best way of getting off mosquitoes is Listerine., the original medicinal type. The Dollar Store-type works, to. I was at a deck party awhile back, and the bugs were having a ball biting everyone. A man at the party sprayed the lawn and deck floor with Listerine. and the little demons disappeared. The next year I filled a 4-ounze spray bottle and used it around my seat whenever I saw mosquitos. . And voila! That worked as we!!. It worked at a picnic where we sprayed the area around the food table, the children's swing area, and the standing water nearby. During the
summer- I don't leave home without it. I tried this on my deck and around all around my doors. It works - in fact, it killed them Instantly. I bought my bottle from Target and it cost me $1.89. it really doesn't take much, and it is a big bottle too so it is not as axpensive to use as the can of spray you buy that doesn't !a«t 30 minutes. Sof try this, It wiii iast a coupie of days. Dont spray directly on wood door (like your front door), but spray around the frame. i Spray around the window frames and even inside the dog house if you have one. Also can be used to dab any bites you receive. It will stop the itching quicker and go away faster.

 

[AllenOK]

Let's see. Skeeters. Chiggers. Ticks. Roaches. Termites. Flies.

Most other insects don't bother me. Wasps, bees, and hornets I usually leave alone, and they leave me alone.

My MIL saw a scorpion, a wee little thing, on the front porch a few days ago. I'm not terribly surprised, but it did shock the dickens out of her. I got my clip-on UV fishing light out, and used that to try to spot it, but because of all the cig butts out there from MIL smoking, I was unable to spot the critter. Yes, scorpions will flouresce under UV light. That's a great way to hunt for them, at night, by turning over rocks and logs, and then shining a UV light on the spot.

I don't think killer bees have made it this far north, yet. I do know they are in OK, but it's in the southern part of the state.

Has anyone ever seen a swarm of locusts? I have, once, back in '82. My family and I were on our way back to my grandmother's from Stillwater. We were on a stretch of lonely road when all of the sudden, there were bugs everywhere! I mean, visibility was so low that we had to slow down to about 5 mph just to stay on the road! That lasted for about 5 minutes. Then, the darndest thing happened. The swarm of locusts was being followed by a swarm of birds! LOL! Every dang bird in the county was following those locusts, and eating their fill.

 

[babetoo]

I'm going to revive this thread to share with all of you the amazing insect we found in our yard yesterday, beneath a stack of bamboo. This guy is called a tailless whip scorpion. With legs and all, he is the size of A DINNER PLATE (note that he is on a 2" X 4" and his body is almost 4" long.) He is NOT venomous, and is actually considered good luck, because he eats scorpions. The two "arms" in front are like crab pincers. Isn't he a magnificent specimen?

now that is a scary bug. i'll take your word that it is harmless. lol

babe

 

[Dove]

My son Kevin has been finding Black Widow spiders everywhere they shouldn't be this year. Not in the usual dark and damp places. I had a small cardboard box that a case of Pepsi came in under my patio table. he reached for a garden tool and jumped back like he was bit. there was a BW belly up..and the remains of the male. Then the next day at my DIL's he came across another on as he was trimming her hedge.

 

[Claire]

I personally believe that most animals belong outside, in nature. We've spent many, many years domesticating dogs (and perhaps cats, but I'm not sure they are domesticated!). Insects? OUTSIDE. My husband almost died because of a wasp attack, so I am a bit paranoid about stinging insects.

 

[expatgirl]

well, in additon to all that has been mentioned I'll add love bugs and fleas..........I also abhor flies...........love bugs don't bite and I'm sure that they are a good source of food for the local birds and bats but they swarm in the spring and splat on your car while driving....you have to wash your car.......their bodies contain some kind of chemical (probably an acid---not sure) and will ruin the paint job otherwise..........my granmma used to send us out on her back porch with flyswatters and we'd have contests to the number of flies we'd splat.........I was good......even today if a fly gains entry into my home he is dead meat.......I move ahead of them..........learned that from gramma's back porch.........the favorites were those "hitching a ride".......two with one swat...........now I know what they were really doing..........carnal carnage..........

 

[JohnL]

Thanks jpm,
I'll certainly give it a shot.

 

[luvs]

ewwwww, i didn't write gnats. they SWARM, icky bugs need a hobby.

 

[skilletlicker]

I don't hate insects so much as I hate reptiles, especially house lizard or Hemidactylis frenatus.

Isn't that the guy selling Geico car insurance on TV? I think he's pretty cool.

Well being raised in Queens, NY, I wasnt subjected to many bugs, but boy did that change when I moved to Florida!! ... Then there are the roaches that look like they are on steroids I dont remember what they are called but they are easily 2 inches long!! YUCK!!

They're called palmetto bugs and although they look disgusting they aren't the little guys who infest your house. They usually just wander in from outside one at a time.

I wish I had one of Mexico Karens critters as a pet.

Mosquitos are bothering us a bit around here; for some reason there isn't any eradication this year.

 

[jpmcgrew]

Thanks jpm,
I'll certainly give it a shot.

Cool, be sure to let us know if it actually works.