Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Killing Bugs!

Ugly things, crawling in places where living creatures shouldn't be able to cling, moving faster than I can with a shoe in my hand! I hate bugs! Have since I was a kid. I'm scared of them too. One of the earliest home movies Dad took was one where my younger sister ferociously killed a bug with a raggedy Andy doll, and then taught me how to do it, with much bashing of the doll on the hapless corpse of the spider unfortunate enough to meet up with her. I think we were 2 and 4 at the time.

Being bigger than the bug doesn't help. When I was a little bit older I was in a downstairs half bath and out from behind the toilet crawls a tarantula. My feet came off the ground. I cried out for Mom to no effect. I was trapped in there until it crawled to the other side of the small room and I was able to leap from my feet upon the toilet seat perch to the step in front of the doorway and escape. I'm sure I then ran to tell mother, but somehow that image fades into vagueness while the crawling of the very large spider along the wall is as vivid today as it was when I experienced it.

Killing bugs is daunting. They seem to want to live really badly and are hardy enough that sometimes you have to kill them more than once. There are several cans of bug spray, of various strengths and for various species, in my cleaning cupboard. In a pinch a can of hair spray will do the trick. But the flying bugs are the worst. They not only avoid the spray with lightning speed, they fly right at you in the process making you run squealing for cover. It usually takes a few moments to gather ones courage when a bug has flown at you nearly ending up, Eek!, in your hair. Shudder! After your nerves are no longer in flight mode and you've gathered your courage together, along with a weapon bigger and nastier than the previous one, you creep out of the adjoining room to try again. No woman in her right mind wants bugs in her home.

So you can imagine my dismay to discover that roaches seem to like my boys' litter box. The youngest is often found in the early morning hours sitting intensely focused in front of it waiting for the roach to reappear. This morning it had escaped Hooboo to make its way into the bathtub. So there I was watching this ugly, medium sized, brown thing with legs I knew all too well from magnified pictures, scuttling around the bottom of my tub. Fortunately it didn't seem to be able to get up the sides. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for me (it didn't get out), Hooboo seemed to not want to get into the tub to chase it. When I tried to put him in there to take care of his bug destruction duties he jumped right back out and snuggled up to my ankle purring. So it was up to me and I didn't feel armed enough with a wad of paper in my hand. I went and got a shoe that 1) I didn't intend to wear today (Eew! Bug slime!), and 2) was way much bigger than the bug! Bam! Bam, bam! It took me two attempts to manage to smash the thing and I made sure the laces were gathered in to give it nothing to suddenly scurry up towards my descending hand. Finally, SPLAT! It was blessedly and thoroughly squashed! I was safe to gather it in some toilet paper and flush it into the sewer system. Whew! Now I just need to disinfect the bathtub and find something with a healthy residual effect to spray around the litter pan. I hate bugs!

16 comments:

jsd said...

roaches are gross - but don't ya know one day they'll rule the world ;-)

Sandi McBride said...

Okay, it's not funny...so why am I (in online speak)lmao and rotf...can't get the visual of you and the Raggedy Ann doll and the spider corpse out of my head...and then you have to throw in a tarantula...oh shivers! Now those I hate...roaches...omg...good luck with getting them out of your domicile! Try those little black discs, they work really well with ants and they make them for roaches, too! Good luck!
hugs
Sandi

Unknown said...

ack! *shudder* cockroaches are the worst!

Jeni said...

I find great comfort in knowing there is at least one other person out there who shares my phobia about bugs and the killing of them too! Makes me shiver just thinking about 'em!

Lee said...

JS, If it seriously looks like Roaches will run for president or make a coup I'm going to I'm migrating to another planet. :)

Hugs!
Lee

Lee said...

Well, I'm glad I made you laugh, Sandi! I've tried the little black discs. I'll try them again and also a bug spray with nasty after effects. I just have to move the litter box first so that the boys don't get hurt. :)

Hugs!
Lee

Lee said...

I agree with you Sarah! They are the filthiest creatures on the face of the planet and also the hardiest. Uck!

We'll try not to leave whatever will be to its own devices.

Cheers!
Lee

Lee said...

Thanks Jeni! I wonder how big the nasties grow in your neck of the woods. When I was a kid we had a huge one, 2 inches long, that lived in the dishwasher when it wasn't in use. We named it Timothy. He had a cousin in the living room. LOL

Cheers!
Lee

Sandi McBride said...

Ah Lee, of course they were habanero peppers...but since they came in a little envelop with no markings, it was only guesswork, lol...but they were truly hotter than any Habanero we've ever had...or any pepper at all...I was not exaggerating his reaction...these peppers were dangerous, lol!
hugs
Sandi

Lee said...

You've actually eaten one before? Woman are you nuts? There are articles out there telling us why you shouldn't eat one of those things.

I do believe you about them being the hottest you'd ever experienced. People who sell seeds like that tend to do the horticulture upgrade and aim for hotter than usual. Plus soil and nutrients can affect the flavor too. :)

Btw...in reference to your earlier comment, I was rereading. :) The doll was a Raggedy Andy not Ann. Ann was too precious for us to hurt by hitting a spider with her. She stayed in pristine condition on our twin beds. Andy on the other hand was a rough and tumble doll that got thrown everywhere.

Don't serve me peppers if I'm ever at your table. Chile Rellenos is about as hot as I go. LOL

Love you,
Lee

San said...

Lee, I have a severe mice phobia and that's a bad thing, since mice proliferate out here in the desert countryside. A few weeks ago, during a dry spell, a mouse was sitting happily on the rail of the staircase as I descended for my morning coffee. Bennie and Oakley chased it around the house, having to prop the sofa on its edge to get to it. Bennie put on his work gloves and captured Mr. Mouse in a bag and carried him to the far reaches of the greenbelt behind the house.

The bugs I'm comfortable with in general (no, not roaches). I always try to avoid killing the little spiders which have a way of being in the kitchen sink in the morning. I pick them up in a tissue and carry them to the deck.

Lee said...

Heh! You're more comfortable with spiders than I am San. I know that the black and white ones are pretty much harmless to humans and let them live. If it has legs longer than 2x its body length I'm afraid it might be poisonous. If it is even close to brown or black I'm sure of it. Can't say about grey ones but they give me the heebie geebies too. (Shrug)

Mice, on the other hand, I'm not afraid of. I kind of like capturing them in containers and moving them outside too. Just like Bennie did. :) We raised hamsters and gerbils when we were kids.

Don't ask me why, but as a teenager I used to dream of spiders hanging from the ceiling and also the shifting of the sheet would sometimes wake me up thinking spiders were crawling in my bed.

We all have our quirks I guess.

Love,
Lee

david mcmahon said...

We have some ornery spiders here, Lee!

Lee said...

So I've heard, David. So I've heard. Well your ornery bugs are welcome to exist in your outback as long as they stay out of Mrs. Authorblog's nice clean house and your office. If they get anywhere near the Authorblogs I'll pray for their destruction.

Keep Smiling!

david mcmahon said...

Thanks, Lee - I'll make sure they never ``bug'' me!!

Lee said...

LOL Glad to hear it, David! I'm pretty sure Mrs. Authorblog appreciates it too.

Cheers!