Creey Crawlers

Insects Yuck

Who else besides me doesn’t love bugs? Creepy crawlers trying to take up residence in my house. I won’t have it. Whether it’s a centipede crawling across the bathroom floor, I've seen them. Or a spider, God forbid. They do not belong in the house. How do they get in? I believe many of the gross disgusting bugs seen in the house come up from our basement. The basement is just a basement, it is dark and damp and has spider webs as well as other creepy crawling bugs. Venturing down there is not something I do on the norm. Mainly because I know there are spiders down there. It is my husband Gary’s domain, and he can have it. He does down there in the middle of a cold winter for the wood stove. Burning wood is nice, but throwing the wood down in the basement and stacking it is a chore. I’m always glad when it is over. I am almost positive that is when we get some of the horrid bugs we see down there. 

I can handle any kind of bug except for spiders. They give me the chills, and they creep me out. I've been known to fall off lawn chairs when one comes swinging towards me on a web.  A basement spider (yes there is such a thing) landed on my arm one time when I was headed down to the basement. I'm surprised I didn’t fall down the stairs in my haste to get the thing off me. 

There is nothing scarier than a spider. Tarantulas come to my mind. Hairy and gross, some people have them for pets. That is something that would never in a million years enter my mind. Hey, maybe I should get a spider for a pet. What pray tell does one feed a spider? I shudder to think of it. The whole thing makes me nauseous and ill. What if it happened to get out of its cage and was roaming the house while we slept. Can you imagine waking up to one on your face? It would be enough to send me over the edge.

Spiders come in all shapes and sizes, they have way too many legs and eyes. There is nothing redeeming about them. They are not cute and cuddly. They are fast and at times it seems as if they want to chase me. 

If there is one in the house and I see it, there is a desperate need within me to kill it before it disappears. What if it gets under the couch and I can no longer see it? Where will it go from there? Will it remain there until the house is silent, then venture out and crawl where it shouldn’t be crawling. No, it has to be eliminated when I first spot it. Hopefully the flyswatter is handy and in reach. 

Going to the bathroom at night, I always want to turn on the light. Who knows what's lurking in the dark? The thought of stepping on one with my bare feet gives me the willies. Staying in the basement is something they should do. Because if they do come upstairs, it is a likely chance when I see them their time on this earth is done.

Too Many Legs

Centipedes do not creep me out as much. I can actually pick one of those up with toilet paper. It feels disgusting but I can do it. Toss it in the toilet and flush. Their many legs are not attractive as well as their hard bodies and creepy antennas. Deep down they too fill me with a loathing that makes me want to eliminate them. The only good thing about them is they do not bite. They prefer the dark and like to be left alone. If that is what they like they shouldn’t be in the house. Outside is a preferable place for them. 

Spiders Again

Back to spiders, why do they have so many eyes? Eight of them, yes that’s right. Better to see us with. They can glance at us from all angles. I've seen spider webs outside with a fly trapped in the web. The fly struggles to get loose from the web while the spider slowly creeps toward it. I cannot watch it and destroy the entire web and the spider along with the fly. They are all better off gone. Nothing good would have happened to the fly. Flies do not bother me as long as they are not in the house. They too are dirty and do not belong indoors.

The brown recluse spider is one I do not want to come across. I’ve always wanted to visit Arizona but have not because the brown recluse is prevalent there. Its bite is toxic, it destroys the skin cells and molecular make up of our body and causes significant damage to tissue at the bite site. They are not aggressive spiders but will bite if cornered or trapped. My thinking is who would want to corner or trap them? I’d stay far away from them. They love wood piles which we have around our home. Thank God they are not native to Wisconsin, although they have been spotted here. I'm beginning to think living in Wisconsin isn’t all that bad after all.

The warmer the weather is whichever state we reside in the more bugs we will have. In Australia, I’ve heard people say they have tarantulas the size of dinner plates crawling up their walls. That is something I would not be able to tolerate or live with. I’ve never been one to say bring on the cold weather but if I had those in my house, I’d welcome it. Australia is a warm weather place, so the bugs multiply with a rapidity beyond belief. For those who live there, they are welcome to it. 

Cockroaches

Speaking of bugs, we cannot end this post without talking about cockroaches. They are one of the most pervasive house bugs in Australia. One more reason not to live there. That being said, I came across my first ever cockroach here in Wisconsin where I used to work. They invaded the break room and were crawling in the refrigerator. My sandwiches for lunch were there and I had eaten a few before the roaches were discovered. To say I was mortified is an understatement. Just the thought of a cockroach crawling across my sandwich before I ate it is enough to make me upchuck. Needless to say, that was the last time I put a sandwich in the refrigerator. Where the cockroaches came from is still a mystery.  I had never seen one in my life so when I saw it I had no idea what it was until I was told. I broke out in goosebumps and walked away. It was no longer living but it still made me ill. Disgusting isn’t a strong enough word for them. Dirty, vile, repellent, stomach-churning, revolting. All these words apply. 

The world needs bugs, I do know that. They are a part of nature and something that needs to be accepted. I can coexist with them as long as they are not in my house. They need to keep up their part of the bargain and stay outside where they belong. Although if I see a spider outside, I will kill it because my thinking is then it cannot ever get inside the house. Bugs are much safer if they just stay off our property. They will have a longer lifespan.

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Spiders, they make my skin crawl.

Sidenote: Today while cleaning my husbands bathroom I came across an insect I didn't recognize. It was a hard-shelled bug with two long antennas, it was fast but not as fast as me. End of story!