Did I Just Witness Something Remarkable, Or….?

I hate me some mosquitos... You can’t make me not hate ‘em... Them, fleas, and ticks, are trackin’ blood...

originally posted by: Wide-Eyes

originally posted by: NarcolepticBuddha
a reply to: Caver78

I always tell spiders to move, I won't hurt them and that I didn't hurt the last one I asked to move.

They listen and obey.

Seriously?

Hell yeah.

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

Green flies love peppers, labybirds/bugs eat them.

I've had aphid problems in the past, such a tiny insect with a great potential for destruction... I often find ladybirds around rose bushes for the same reason.

Oh well, seems I should read a full thread before posting. A few people mentioned green fly.




I've got an amazing little story about not killing wildlife, me and a friend were trying to point blank shoot a Marsh Tit, we were young and stupid...

We basically shot 15+ pellets into it and it just danced in front of us, we couldn't have missed yet not one pellet hit, I'm glad we didn't hit it.

Life is precious, I'm often reminded of that little bird when dispatching spiders, I hate spiders too but I've saved a few because of that memory.

a reply to: japhrimu

I forgot fleas and ticks. They are on my hit list too.

They're not welcome.

originally posted by: japhrimu
I hate me some mosquitos... You can’t make me not hate ‘em... Them, fleas, and ticks, are trackin’ blood...

Absolutely!

It's nature (not only human) that gives us these instincts. If and when a critter encroaches upon myself/loved ones/ property, I do my best to warn or scare it away. However, the moment it "bites" I kill it.

Self-preservation is ingrained in our DNA. Sometimes that means killing off pests that have no logical benefit to our survival. It's something we should feel no guilt over.

Nature is brutal at times, so we must be as well.

a reply to: zosimov

One day after school, it must have been 2nd grade because we lived in Kent, WA, I was walking home on my usual route, staring down at the sidewalk as I walked, I saw a colony of ants that has situated their home in the seam between two cement sidewalk panels and within cracks that had formed in the cement. They were all busy doing something.

I fancied myself a great powerful being like I had seen on TV, like Godzilla, or King Kong, and the ants were the humans, and they were at my mercy. Their above ground construction was a few barely a half inch high mounds of dry, sandy looking dirt surrounding their "entrances". So, the only way I could wreck their home was to drag my foot right through the middle of the main, central, largest set of mounds as I walked by, briefly turning around for a few seconds to see the fruits of my efforts, before quickly becoming bored and continuing home.

I guess I took about 8 steps and began to feel kinda bad. I stopped, went back, and I guess I spent at least an hour, sitting on the ground and trying to help them clear out the entrances and fix things as best as I could, when I got home, my dad was furious because I was so late and he couldn't find me. I tried to explain what happened, but, it didn't seem to make him any less angry.



Those pill bugs are adorable and harmless(to people...as far as I know), I used to play with them as a kid, because if you pick them up, or touch them, they roll up into a almost perfect sphere that rolls around in your hand.

I've always been a gentle person, and very protective toward children, animals, and females when appropriate. My gentleness sometimes extends to insects, and I often feel we should and could be more compassionate, patient and accommodating towards the life we share the planet with, which we could not have surived without their continued presense.

I hate it when I see a dead animal on the road, especially here in W. Washington because usually there are a forest of trees on both sides of the road/highway, so it's very clear that we invaded Their space, not the other way around.

Same when a bug enters my home. Why is this "my" space? I don't want to share a home with bugs. But I don't want to kill bugs, either.

I feel like you do. Just share your garden with them.

a reply to: zosimov

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

I will only kill an insect if it can kill me.

You mean a single insect in itself, or it and all its friends?

I kill most stinging/biting insects (fire ants, wasps, jackets/hornets, flies (including biting flies), ticks, mosquitoes, and black widows). Will not kill large black/red ants, bumblebees, honey bees, spiders in general.

Knowing how the web of life works, and on a micro-ecosystemic scale, I try to let things be.

I was a cruel child-I used to stir up ant nests and I could smell the pheromones they emitted-it was like a call to arms.

As a dumbass kid I once saved a fly from the toilet. Also as a dumbass kid, I once put a sign on a fire ant mound that said "My friends" as my dad was cutting the grass. Now, flies and fire ants die. Period.

I've always liked Roly Polies, though. They just seemed cool.

My first thought (like TexasTruth joked) was that the big rolly poly was probably killing or eating the baby. But when you saw it move ANOTHER baby, into an area of all babies.....please please let that rolly poly family live! Like another poster suggested- find what they eat and put that in the garden for them. Or, just let them have the green beans. 😳. My heart cannot take that story!

originally posted by: Wide-Eyes

originally posted by: NarcolepticBuddha
a reply to: Caver78

I always tell spiders to move, I won't hurt them and that I didn't hurt the last one I asked to move.

They listen and obey.

Seriously?

You weren't responding to me, but please let me butt in to say the very same thing happened to me once! A huge spider started spinning a web every night on our deck, so that you had to duck down as you walked out onto the deck. I didn't want to get rid of it b/c it caught a lot of pesky insects in its web. So one night I just looked right in its eyes and asked it to spin its web elsewhere on the deck so I wouldn't have to duck down. God as my witness, the next night and thereafter it spun its web well clear of the doorway. I was astonished and... so happy, that I began to talk to it a lot that year haha.

I am beside my self now that I have read this.
Yesterday I cleaned out my planters and window boxes and
there they were pill bugs of all sizes I tossed them into the grass every time I came upon
one I feel so bad not even thinking I was up rooting a family.

I try to practice a "kill nothing" kind of life but I should pay more attention to things like this … I feel bad.

a reply to: starlitestarbrite

Don't forget that insects aren't designed for pair-bonding. A few 'higher' mammals form strong family bonds like primates, dogs and elephants. Little bugs not so much. It's probably down to the relatively tiny amount of neurons they have compared to mammals.

They're still a little spark of life in the universe whether they have emotions or not.

originally posted by: new_here

originally posted by: Wide-Eyes

originally posted by: NarcolepticBuddha
a reply to: Caver78

I always tell spiders to move, I won't hurt them and that I didn't hurt the last one I asked to move.

They listen and obey.

Seriously?

You weren't responding to me, but please let me butt in to say the very same thing happened to me once! A huge spider started spinning a web every night on our deck, so that you had to duck down as you walked out onto the deck. I didn't want to get rid of it b/c it caught a lot of pesky insects in its web. So one night I just looked right in its eyes and asked it to spin its web elsewhere on the deck so I wouldn't have to duck down. God as my witness, the next night and thereafter it spun its web well clear of the doorway. I was astonished and... so happy, that I began to talk to it a lot that year haha.

That's incredible. I really want to try this myself as my better half is terrified of spiders.

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: starlitestarbrite

Don't forget that insects aren't designed for pair-bonding. A few 'higher' mammals form strong family bonds like primates, dogs and elephants. Little bugs not so much. It's probably down to the relatively tiny amount of neurons they have compared to mammals.

They're still a little spark of life in the universe whether they have emotions or not.

Consider the fact that these critters have survived millions of years as well as their seafaring cousins.

They're probably smarter than we think.

In the early 80's when I was a kid we woke one morning to a biblical frog invasion. There was a creek behind our house and we always had frogs and toads but this was on another level. The whole neighborhood was out in their pj 's marvaling at the sight. The ground was alive and moving. It was like those videos of the red crabs. You couldn't walk or dive without killing hundreds of tiny baby frogs. I remember staying home from school to save the frogs. Also my mom hated frogs and didn't want to go anywhere near them....lol People stayed home from work not wanting to drive on them. It took them all day to move from one side of the street to the other. That weekend my dad tried to mow the lawn but stopped when he discovered thousands of baby frogs in the lawn. He said he couldn't kill all those tiny frogs. We caught and played with the frogs and toads all the time. He always said it was ok but we had to let them go at the end of day. You can play with them but don't kill them. It was an amazing and precious moment. It never happened again but my brother and I still talk about it.

a reply to: Wide-Eyes

Who knows?

I just love the responses on this thread. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read and comment, I'm fairly surprised that this topic got any attention at all!

I think some of you would really enjoy reading about Opal Whiteley- she was a child genius and naturalist living in Oregon about a hundred years ago-- here's a link to her childhood diary
Opal's Journal
and a couple of threads about her
www.abovetopsecret.com...
www.abovetopsecret.com...

My big take-away from this thread (aside from the roly poly garden I'm planning LOL) is that there is still so much wonder in the natural world and so much we have to learn, just by taking the time to observe the micro. I can get so caught up in the macro that I forget to enjoy what is right in front of me. Also, I do have to wonder if a common thread links all life, and plan to act with a bit more deliberation and compassion.

Hope everyone enjoys their Sunday!

a reply to: NarcolepticBuddha

Tried that as I kept gently shooing her off to the side. She was territorial an pretty fixated. Gave up an weeded one handedly with her on my other hand, then put her back.

Wolf spiders are kinda furry an VERY mellow. Not everyones cup of tea, but pretty harmless. I had no idea they carried their babies on them, so interesting to watch.


Have discovered that our little woodland toads are fiercely territorial as well. Occasionally have to mulch their "little patches" an they are little bulldogs. Usually if you don't contain them for the duration of the garden work they will
be right back just as you go to dump the bag! Then give you serious stink eye cause you have totally disrespected their area.
Facepalm!

Plus they won't move.
They will absolutely just park there no matter how much activity around them.

You know "I get" that it's a fantastic bug hunting spot...."I get" that they spend more time on those 2 square feet than I do but REALLY????? So upside down bucket for about 10 min an back they get put to go about their little hissy fits.

Cracks me up every time!
Silly kids!!!

This is why i’m vegan. I can’t kill or pay anyone to kill a innocent animal who wants to live. All animals fight until their last breath, they don’t want to die.

originally posted by: Waalter
This is why i’m vegan. I can’t kill or pay anyone to kill a innocent animal who wants to live. All animals fight until their last breath, they don’t want to die.

Im no vegan, but try to live by the ideals you speak of.

However, I question your claim that you cannot kill. Would you not kill mice/rats that are relentlessly infesting your pantry? Chipmunks devouring seedlings in your garden?

It's easy to say "of course I would not take their lives" so long as we have access to any need or desire via the local markets. If this commodity were to disappear overnight, would you hold the same sentiments you do now?