As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become less comfortable with casual killing of bugs that are just living their life and happen to intersect with mine. Yes, I am nuking from orbit the flea infestation my cats just got. I still eat meat. I think ticks and mosquitos are the scourge of the earth and cause much human suffering. But I’ve just become more uncomfortable with killing of random insects that happen to come in my house with glee.
The OP is over the top hyperbole and I’m sure the Mrs is a fine person, but I get where the OP is coming from.
I almost put this in the thread that sparked the OP, but this may be a better spot for it.
I remember the first time I saw a Praying Mantis live. It was in my backyard and it scared the crap right out of me. It was a large one, perhaps 5 or 6 inches long (which is why I capitalized, it wasn’t a praying mantis, it was a Praying Mantis). If such a thing came fluttering down beside me while I was sitting on my porch, I don’t know what I’d have done.
Now, I am pretty comfortable with nature. As a kid, I’d catch snakes for fun. Dug worms for fishing more times than I can count. I’ve even thrown rocks at hornet’s nests (the things that pass for fun when you’re a kid). But, there is just something about the looks of the praying mantis that triggers a fight or flight response in me. I fully understand the actions taken by the target of this pitting. Not the response I would have chosen, but I certainly understand it.
For me, anyway, praying mantis sightings are somewhat rare. Last year, I found one on my motorcycle handlebars (while I was riding, going 45 MPH down the road). I collected myself and was surprised she was still there when I got to my destination. I stuck out my finger and let her crawl on it, then put her on a nearby tree. As magnanimous actions go, I’ll admit this one is not very big, but considering how terrified I was years prior when I stumbled across the one in my backyard, it is one I will remember.
But aren’t humans predisposed to do just that? Doesn’t that go all the way down to our reptile brains? I would think it’s far more common for someone to react to (what they consider) an oogie looking creature the way Mrs. Pithecanthropus did than not. If I were to see that. . . thing, depending where it was I might just smoosh it too. I’d rather it just go about its business in my neighbor’s yard and I will gladly help it along with a broom handle. However, disgusting grasshoppers that eat my plants and stare at me with Satan’s eyeball are getting annihilated.
I feel like the OP is trying to make some larger point. He has to be. I’m just not quite getting it.
If you think they’re worth saving, you should dedicate your life to removing them from the homes of others and providing them a safe space. Most of the rest of us will be glad to have you take them as long as you’re not our neighbors.
I wouldn’t kill a praying mantis on purpose, but I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. There was recently a large wolf spider in my bathtub. I know wolf spiders are the good guys - they kill brown recluse spiders. But I didn’t want him in my tub, and I didn’t want to risk trying to catch him and him getting away, I don’t really want him living under my pillow, either. So I looked for something to soak him down with, picked up some tub and tile cleaner spray. Gave him a shot and he didn’t move, shot him again. Nothing, I figured he would at least start running from being startled. He was either totally paralyzed or dead, went down the toilet either way.
There are lots of wolf spiders in my lawn, I don’t kill them. There was even an orb weaver living right off the side of my front porch almost all summer, left him alone. But I ain’t having one in my tub.
Confession: I drive pretty fast and my grill and windshield are an unspeakable wasteland of carnage littered with the broken dreams, lives, and body parts of thousands of species of bugs.
The Great Unwashed, I deserve your worst but please leave the Mrs. out of this. She was just an innocent passenger.
With all the cruelty in the world towards humanity you’re worried about an insect? Get some fucking perspective; if you want to do good contribute towards Children in Need charities. I assure you the bug would snuff you out without a qualm if it could.
Three cheers for Spectre of Pithecanthropus’ wife. You go, girl! Squash them critturs!
It certainly is! Now, imagine how pathetic it would be to write out a multi-paragraph response complete with authoritative opinions on such an incredibly trivial issue! Incredibly pathetic.
If I understand you rightly you are saying the only issues worth talking about are the most pressing issues of the day, like child poverty/starvation/abuse.
That’s extraordinarily dumb, even for you.
It’s a bit fucking presumptious of you to tell me what I should be doing if I “want to do good”. This is what you should be doing if you want to do good: get a fucking clue and stay off the internet until you have one.
To be fair Colibri’s posts were relatively pithy. But that might only be because he didn’t have a lot to say. You might be separated at birth.
I don’t know Spectre of Pithecanthropus’s wife, but I did watch Spectre over the weekend and it was pretty bad, so I guess I’m partially on board with this pitting.
I think the OP is looking at it all wrong. Mantises are remorseless predators of other bugs. SoP’s wife did the ecosystem a huge favor by killing it. Think of all the bug lives she saved! She’s a goddamned bug hero!
This is correct, and it’s the reason Spectre will never be free of bugs. You can’t be free of bugs. They outnumber us by orders of magnitude. You will never, ever, ever be able to sterilize your world of bugs. By destroying the top-level predators like this mantis, you are making more pest insects. Congratulations!
The roaches, bedbugs, sewer moths (whatever that is. Drain flies?), etc. are deeply appreciative.
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so judgemental. In your situation, I’d be hyper-reactive as well. I hope you’ll tell your wife, though, that those are helpful critters and not to kill anymore.
