I - Insects


“There’s things that crawl and things that fly and things that creep around on the ground”


I admit, I’m using some poetic license with the title for this one. Technically, insects have three pairs of legs, three distinct body segments and an exoskeleton. I don’t care.

I’m talking about bugs. We’ve got bugs, and lots of ‘em. Let’s break it down:

Bad guys

Ants, cockroaches, beetles and the like are pests; they spread diseases and are just gross to find in the kitchen. The best way to deal with these is to keep everything sealed. Make sure windows and screens are closed tight and keep all food items in jars or Zip-Zap bags. Some of the ants are also attracted to standing water; dump it out.

Nasty guys

These are the candidates for kill-on-sight, no-permission-needed: scorpions, centipedes, mosquitoes, etc. Centipedes are especially nasty; ugly as sin (maroon-red with stubby yellow legs), up to 8” long and can bite from both ends. Burn these sumbitches if the opportunity arises.

Cool guys

There are some harmless and pretty funky bugs as well. Crickets are alright, even the big 6” ones. There are bugs that look like leaves that do no damage as well as the “walking stick” bugs that rock front-and-back for a minute before taking a single step.

Buddies

Geckos, bats and dragonflies are good guys; leave them alone! They eat the bad guys mentioned above and are fun to watch. I like watching the bats swoop through the streetlight in front of our place, taking out a mosquito or two with every pass.


Comments

  1. Hilary Melton-ButcherApril 10, 2018 at 8:15 PM

    Hi Scott - there are bugs and there are bugs ... great description of I for insects - cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete

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