aag

Gotta love cheap (free!) entertainment.

My father made us “unafraid” of spiders by showing us webs and letting us catch flies, then put them in the web. We’d watch the spider wrap up and eat its sacrificial offerings, and it became far more fascinating than scary. :)

I never kill spiders I find inside my house. I catch them in a cup and put them in the backyard. My mantra is, “Spiders eat mosquitoes!”

Do you have fire ants in your neck of the woods? They are a scourge here in the south and can be dangerous to small people/animals. Yuck.

Yep. Spiders are great. This is how I learned to love them when I was a kid:

http://www.amazon.com/Nice-Spiders-Margaret-Bloy-Graham/dp/0060220732

Ahh, the pleasures of childhood.

I’ve always been of the ‘let them live’ camp when it comes to bugs, whether in the house or out. None of my children are wholly comfortable with this and the six year old recently summoned me to him whilst bathing.

“Mama, I don’t know what it was, but I killed it.” He indicated a splotch of insect remains on the tile bath surround.

I peered. “It was a centipede, honey.”

“Are centipedes good?” came the inquiry.

“Yes, they are sweetie.”

He pondered that. “Well. I didn’t like it, but next time I’ll try to let it live.”

(And, thank you, for the fleshbot).

If you would like to get rid of the ants without the poison, try sprinkling a line of diatomaceous earth outside at their point of entry. It isn’t quick, but you don’t have to worry about the kiddos eating it, either. It won’t do them any harm.

The mantis babies sound very cool. Did you take any pictures of them?

Your children are fortunate to have a mother who is not reduced to hysterics at the site of an insect.

A home inspector told me that if spiders are present in a house, particularly in the basement, that is a good indication that the house does not have problems with dampness from chronic flooding or poor drainage. In addition to being great entertainment, Arachne’s children also dine on other members of the insect world, so spiders do try to be helpful houseguests.

Ants, not so helpful. I do not relish the thought of ant infestations in my linens, books, or computer. Yes, computer. The invasive raspberry ants are reputed to be attracted to electromagnetic fields and will dine on the insulation surrounding electrical wiring.

Electrical switch boxes, gas meters, or your PC make ideal homes because they are dry and have small, easily defendable entrances.When crazy rasberry ants invade an electrical box, they can’t actually eat the equipment inside. Their jaws are not strong enough to cut through metal wires, but they can chew through the softer insulation around them, exposing the live wires and causing electrical shorts. (Other ant species, like leafcutter ants, are capable of cutting through thin metal wires, but they don’t seem to be attracted to electronics.) When an ant is shocked or electrocuted, it releases a chemical alarm pheromone that attracts its nestmates, triggering a cascade that results in a buildup of dead worker ants that can cause further problems for electronics.

Let’s hope the little critters don’t develop a taste for juicy clit.

Yep, lose the ants. Keep the spiders. Enjoy the mantises.

N.

Erm, you didn’t mention whether I should lose or keep the kids? :) –aag

That’s awesome! My little twins, well, really all of my kids, big and little, run shrieking from bugs!
Just be glad you don’t live in my neck of the woods (although I think my littles would enjoy a play date with your littles). The rainy season here brings in flying roaches- GAH!!! Yes, those warrant screams! Luckily, as soon as the woods dry out they leave again.

i really don’t think parents do their offspring any favours shielding them from bugs and the like.

eating a little dirt is good for the immune system.

i have a friend with a rule, spiders are okay until she can see the joints on their legs and then OUTSIDE!

:)

you can buy orange oil to keep the ants away. nontoxic to small ones and kitties, and doesn’t so much kill the ants as keep them away from the perimeter. but you’re on your own for the ones that have already breached!

oh i almost forgot!

THANKS!

“They’re more afraid of you than you are of them!”

That is what my son says to *me*!

They bring me worms and want to keep them as pets. *shiver*

As a recent convert to your blog, I was first drawn in by the name. Fifteen seconds later, after I had actually read something, I was hooked by your mad essay chops.

Well done. Keep sharing what you feel like sharing. Hide what we have no business knowing. I like a bit o mystery.

On ants…
Some of my most relaxing moments are observing the little wonders of the world around us. T’would be nice to be a toddler again, just bigger.

I find pouring some boiling water across the line of ants simultaneously kills the ones in the line of fire, and stops the rest of the ants from coming in.

We bought those little white plastic disk things that they walk through and take the poison back to the hill. It seemed to work pretty well for us. The kids didn’t even notice it. Still, I miss the days of sitting around and vaccuuming them up. It was great stress relief. Or maybe I’m just strange.

I remember sprinkling a line of pepper in front of the entrance point of ants and they stayed away after that. Unless you want the distraction for the young ones.

Here’s a fabulous ant solution (it also works for other sweets loving bugs) and is largely child and pet safe.

Buy some boric acid (available at most drug stores) mix it with honey, or a bit of peanut butter (something that won’t pour out easily). Put it in a jar, old yogurt container or any other secure container with a lid. Punch holes in the lid and put it where ants can reach it and children can’t. (Wikipedia also mentions soaking cotton balls)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boric_acid

Yet another proven, nontoxic ant solution:
Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Soap. Swish some in a spray bottle with water and spray the ants, wipe them away. Spray and wipe the entire area they are invading. Spray in the cracks and crevices where they are coming in. Ants don’t like peppermint! Plus the smell disrupts all the pheromone messages they are leaving for their other ant friends that say, “hey! follow us!!” It may take some repeat sprayings but eventually they will go away, I promise.