Humane Bug Removal

I was always repulsed when people would smash bugs..why kill? In our house we always try to catch and release. While growing up my older sister programmed me into arachnaphobia. I have progressed to the point of being able to use the spider catcher (see video) to catch and release. It works very well, so I thought I would share.

For pest control I prefer my cowboy boots.

You can really get into the corners.

reply to post by UltimateSkeptic1


It makes me sad........bugs life spans are sooo short to begin with.....must we end it by making the last thing threw their minds their buttholes.....
Life is precious...and should be respected, but I too am guilty, of ridding the painfull/dangerous pests...

reply to post by Asktheanimals


agreed...but, if I had known they were there, and had been able to keep them unaggetated "protected", never under estimate a brown paper bag "yellow jacket grenade" them silly humans always gota have a looky see.. D'ohhh whats in da bag....
Or better yet, a trip wire "unwanted prowler" that shakes the nest...screaming humans, are natures best alarms....

reply to post by InTheLight
Thanks so much for the vid. That's the coolest thing. There's no reason to willy-nilly kill everything on sight.

It's ok to be a little scared at first but it's really not that bad once you've learned a few tricks. I got over my fear of spiders when I spotted my first tarantula in the wild...absolutely beautiful creatures. I feel kinda sorry for them so many things prey on them. Tarantula wasps need them as food for their larvae, they're quite beautiful too.

reply to post by Morningglory


This is as close to humane as I go: If a Daddy Long Legs spider escapes my attempts to kill it three times, I let it live. If it's not a Daddy Long Legs, oh it's dead.

Understand that, if you stick your finger in the home of a bee, that bee will not only sting you, it calls all of its friends and they would kill you if given enough time.

Originally posted by Morningglory
reply to post by InTheLight

 

Thanks so much for the vid. That's the coolest thing.

Yeah! That spider catcher is great! Now I can grab a spider and release it on the floor so I can step on it. No more spider guts on walls.YAY!

Thanks Spider Catcher!

Originally posted by jiggerj
Understand that, if you stick your finger in the home of a bee, that bee will not only sting you, it calls all of its friends and they would kill you if given enough time.

The same could be said if you stick your finger in a lion's den or any home that doesn't belong to you. Go ahead try it with a human's home and see what happens.

I've been gardening since I was a kid. By observing the habits of insects I've managed to stay perfectly safe. If you turn over a rock out here with your fingers there's a good chance you'll get bit by a black widow, we use our foot, shovel anything but our fingers.

It really just takes some common sense and being aware of your surroundings. Being allergic is one thing but being a big sissy is another.

Originally posted by Doc Holiday
reply to post by Asktheanimals

 

agreed...but, if I had known they were there, and had been able to keep them unaggetated "protected", never under estimate a brown paper bag "yellow jacket grenade" them silly humans always gota have a looky see.. D'ohhh whats in da bag....
Or better yet, a trip wire "unwanted prowler" that shakes the nest...screaming humans, are natures best alarms....

Hiya Doc, good to see you again!

Good lord but we do think alike. I wasn't even aware the nest was there and my wife emptied a kiddie pool nearby (apparently they're not fond of drowning - go figure)
Yeah, I would've loved to have kept it around for a burglar alert by attaching a weight to a string over the nest. I wish I knew the secret to why they make their nests in certain places because I really don't mind them myself, you just have to move slowly around wherever they are and they'll leave you alone.
I did drop a tree on a nest one time and I couldn't hear them for the chainsaw - but man I sure could feel them! Plantain to the rescue one more time

Originally posted by Morningglory

Originally posted by jiggerj
Understand that, if you stick your finger in the home of a bee, that bee will not only sting you, it calls all of its friends and they would kill you if given enough time.

The same could be said if you stick your finger in a lion's den or any home that doesn't belong to you. Go ahead try it with a human's home and see what happens.

I've been gardening since I was a kid. By observing the habits of insects I've managed to stay perfectly safe. If you turn over a rock out here with your fingers there's a good chance you'll get bit by a black widow, we use our foot, shovel anything but our fingers.

It really just takes some common sense and being aware of your surroundings. Being allergic is one thing but being a big sissy is another.

And your point is?
second line: Am I buggin' you?

Hey there OP, thanks for the thread. Love it. I have the same philosohy you do. Curious about your statement:

"I've had good luck with cayenne/cinnamon/epsom salt dips. Epsom salts mixed with water tastes really bad and mites seem to hate it. The plants love the magnesium. Imo a healthy, unstressed plant will deter most anything without sustaining too much damage. In spring I catch lady bugs and put on all my plants. "

I'v heard that epsom salts are good for sprinkling around tomatoes. Is this true for all plants? Also, the cayenne/cinnamon/epsom salt dips, what are you refering to("dip")? Thank you.

I wish I could be more "brave" when it comes to bugs. We get palmetto bugs often, usually daily in the summer, in my house (i.e. giant, nasty flying cockroach) and I just can't relax if I see one. They're extremely fast and can fly, so my only option is to be fast and hard.

Wasps, yellow jackets and the like---forget it. Unless it's a bumble bee or honey bee (which I never find in my house and for strange reasons, I'm not scared of them) it's dead. I have a bad unnatural fear of them and unfortunately, wasps find their way in my house all the time coming down from the chimney in through the air vents. I have no less than 2 full cans of wasp spray in the house at all times because I usually panic so bad, I unload half a can at once. I can't rest unless it's dead.

If the critters would just stay out of my house, there'd be no problem. It's not that I want to kill them but I just can't be calm once I see one. If I can't get it and it disappears, I'm a nonsensical neurotic freak until I find it and kill it.

Originally posted by Morningglory
With all the news about disappearing bees I thought some of you might appreciate my little tip for removing insects from the home humanely. At least I hope it is.

I don't like using insecticides/pesticides inside or out. The hubby and I catch/release anything that ends up in the house. The large red centipedes are pretty tough, they're fast and hard to contain. Although I haven't used my method on them yet, it just might work...can't wait to try

I swear I feel like "Ripley" going after those suckers.

A black wasps was inside and he was getting pretty mad at my gentle attempts to catch him. I wasn't having much luck, he'd fly off or come right for me. If I opened the door/window and just waited who knows what would come in. I'm in rural southern Colorado lots of bugs here.

I thought if I sprayed the wasp with water it might hamper his ability to fly long enough to get him outside. The only spray bottle I have is one I keep in the fridge filled with distilled water for cooling off my terrarium. It had gotten pushed to the back and had a crust of ice on top so it was pretty cold.

I sprayed him a few times wetting him real good. He turned into a sleepy little baby. I hauled him outside and sat him on the porch. In just a second or two he warmed enough to fly away. No stings, no smashed wasp and I only had a little water to clean up.

Well there you go. I'm not fond of bugs but I really don't like killing them. Wasps/centipedes usually like water, spraying a centipede with room temperature water is only going to make him feel good. I believe the ice water is key.

Maybe some of you have really good tips for bug management that you'd be willing to share. We've gotten into the habit of taking our little insect friends for granted. We think nothing of smashing them to bits or spraying them with chemicals. I know the Orkin Man is big business in suburbia but frankly I prefer the bugs.

LOVE FOR BUGS! I love it..
*smile*

I shot a birdie when little with a BB Gun and to this day I have nightmares about that. I was only maybe 8 or 9 and being 44 now, remember that clearly and fear I am going to hell for it. *shrug*

Diatomaceous Earth also works very good too..... especially as a natural, harmless (to humans) preventative, sprinkle it around your home - in the corners - behind appliances, etc..

I use this myself, and have never had a bug of any kind in my home, except for an occasional spider that finds its way into my attic.




en.wikipedia.org...

Diatomite is used as an insecticide, due to its physico-sorptive properties.[8] The fine powder absorbs lipids from the waxy outer layer of insects' exoskeletons, causing them to dehydrate.

reply to post by Morningglory


i have never heard of this before, thank you OP.


peace.

Stinging and biting insects I can live with. However, I have seen more and more of these fellows, the Eastern Bloodsucking Conenose.
These rascals can give you Chagas' disease.

en.wikipedia.org...

en.wikipedia.org...

Here's a picture

www.fcps.edu...

OP... correct! When dealing with an injured tarantula, I throw them in the freezer for a few.. docile as heck.

Bugs... I love them, Only bugs I will kill outright are flies and mosquitoes... and I have a zapper. Its a tennis racket thats electrified. Sadly, since moving north ( Im in southern Il) Ive had to purchase lady bugs and mantises mail order for the gardens. They spray like its going out of style here... and it seems to kill mainly the beneficial bugs. Go figure.

reply to post by Isabelx


That's good advice, I had heard of that long ago, but obviously I had totally forgotten it until you mentioned it again...

reply to post by jiggerj
LOL you're not bugging me in the least. Was that your intent?

I treat humans who bug me the same as insects or animals, usually giving them a wide berth. You seem to be under the impression that protecting ones home is somehow unique to humans. Insects/animals are equally protective of their homes.

My point is that any animal, insect or human will defend its home from intruders. Don't quite understand your point by singling out bees. What would you expect them to do? They've worked as hard for their home as you.

reply to post by asclepius23
Epsom salts is extremely good for most plants that I'm aware of. Magnesium is very important for photosynthesis.

From my own experiences and from what I've read you can't overdose your plants with magnesium. It's actually beneficial for people too. I just know when I use it my plants green up beyond belief. I put 1 tbsp dry in the planting hole outside or mix 1 tbsp per gallon of water for potted or indoor plants. You can water them with it or spray them.

By dip I mean I make a mixture of cayenne/cinnamon/epsom salts and water in a bowl. I submerge small potted plants upside down into the mix. Not the whole pot just the exposed part of the plant. I put saran wrap over the dirt so it stays intact and doesn't fall into the dip.You can also fill a spray bottle to treat larger plants but I find the dip method more effective. I mainly use this for mites. Don't leave the mixture on them though, give them a minute or two then rinse them well, repeat weekly as needed. It's never burned my plants but I've had a few old leaves turn a reddish tint from the cayenne. As always use caution with more delicate plants.

Having raised both aquarium plants and nursery raised plants I've learned that a lot of pests are hitchhikers. If you don't quarantine the plants or treat them you're inviting trouble.

Btw I've never used this for aquarium plants. I have other tricks or I quarantine them.