So one day in the fall Bossy found this bug, and what is it, a cricket? It’s not that Bossy is overly afraid of bugs, she just doesn’t like to be the one to decide what to do with them.
There are those people who crush bugs of all varieties, and there are those who feel a bug must be ushered back outside. Bossy is somewhere in between, depending on the bug and how much it’s bugging her.
Throughout Bossy’s childhood it was her brother who was called from adjacent rooms to resolve issues with things like city roaches, which Bossy has no problem wishing dead but oy, the crackle snap of their pressed bodies!
In the case of the cricket above, and hello entomologist, please don’t go telling Bossy it’s something weirder than that, Bossy thought it should be set free outside.
Which is what today’s Ten-Word Challenge is all about. In exactly ten words, can you tell Bossy what you do with bugs found in your house? Or, if not you, who has the job of racing to your aid when you scream?
And don’t forget to check back later today for the buggiest comments on the web.
Hate them. Smoosh away, I say. Plug ears if necessary!
Spray from fair distance with anything aerosole until bug drowns.
Tequila. Eight magazines taped around shoe. Smash. Boyfriend cleans up.
Bugs are part of nature. Nature belongs outdoors. And so…
All but roaches get set free. Roaches get fire bombed.
Two for Tuesday:
That is a spricket. Combo of cricket and spider. Mutant.
Dyson sucks those things right up and out they go!
Smoosh, smoosh, stomp, smoos. Pretend I am poping bubble wrap.
Hair spray plus lighter equals blow torch. Bye Bye bug!
A noble burial at sea…where sea equals the toilet.
Is it really a bother to put in a glass with paper and deliver outdoors? Better that than clean up a squished, guts-splattered corpse!
Two for you:
Bossy, you have taken a photo of a camel cricket.
In Austin, we have HUGE, screech-inducing flying cockroaches. Splat.
Zap them with tennis-racket shaped electric bug zapping device.
BH
OH, and sometimes I release them back into nature!
Hear squeal, mom to the rescue, tissue-squeeze, toss, flush.
Put a cup over it until the husband gets home.
scream,call husband, listen to children laughing at pathetic mother.
grab tissue, squeeze, POP, Yuck, walk to toilet, FLUSH sigh.
Cover with glass. Squeeze magazine under. Take outside. Squash ants.
Big shriek. Shout HELP! Oh wait, I live alone. DAMMIT.
Flush the stink bugs. They really do smell. Don’t vacuum!
They die. If I am alone I hide upstairs.
Cool with a paper towel, hotter with a towel: SNAP!
I try to get our cat to eat the bugs.
Don’t like those cricketspiders – they jump toward you! Free them.
Spiders ok, unless they are yooge–flys & cockroaches die!
Bugs have been known to be frozen stiff with hairspray
Heard creature in room. Tentatively searched. Stranded on Bed Island.
If hubby is home, play wimp. Else kill and cringe.
Daddy long legs I leave be, all others magazine squash.
I let them go or feed them to the cats.
Bugs? Let them free. Scorpions? Husband’s domain. Sigh. Texas.
Take outside. Run free, little one! Please don’t come back.
I study spiders, so set free critters. Except centipedes – gross!
Camel crickets aren’t bad – but, centipedes, venomous and ewww.
Didn’t give birth to it, it doesn’t pay rent…BYE!
Roaches, mosquitoes…dead. Others go outside unless they refuse cooperation.
Scream for husband, yell ‘die…die…die’ whilst he murders.
Scream loudly and then squish and squash until completely DEAD!
Kids and husband call for me to squish them dead.
Cup, cup-cover, chase, outdoors. Even yellow jackets. We’re nature huggers.
The cats are my exterminators, no bugs here.
Giant subtropical cockroaches: leave the room. They fly at you. Creepy.
(Sorry, eleven. Good thing I’m being restrained to eleven. Could write an essay on those tree roaches. Ew. In Houston, I did NOT hug them.)
The House spiders can stay mostly. They live here, too.
I capture/kill most bugs, but spiders make me cry.
Ants and roaches get RAID.
All others tolerated or relocated.
Slam shoe down hard enough so sound overwhelms bug crunching!
Used to love, love, love to scare arachnophobic older sister!
Call youngest child…….our animal planet lover with bug tools!
Montessori taught kids to love all bugs husband hires exterminator!
Can’t kill crickets, that’s bad luck. Usher them back outside.
Out, out, damn bug.
He does it if home, otherwise me.
I live in the desert. No species can be inside!
1. Very few Buddhists among Bossy’s commenters. Franca passes no judgment.
2. Spiders: shown the door. Ants: ignored. Flies: flattened. Franca: conflicted
Suck it up. Release outside unharmed. Could be the Buddha.
Raid or anything in aerosol, even lysol. Goodbye, clean bug.
Bugs have no chance with crazy cat and hound dogs!
Be very glad to live in area with few bugs!
bees=hairspray, flyswatter. Magazine, loud humming/singing to mask crunch.
Solo or in groups? Solos are repatriated. Groups are eliminated.
i calmly step away, call u-hail, and then move.
(it’s a katydid) (just saying)
If possible, call husband to save the day. Otherwise, splat.
My cats appreciate the little extra protein in their diets.
freeze with hairspray, take outside, other bugs eat dead-like bug.
Capture in glass, realise door is closed, open door – throw!
Distract my toddler daughter, then throw a heavy shoe. Hard.
Leave or set free. Exceptions: roaches, mosquitos, ants, poisonous spiders.
Name bug and keep for pet. (you don’t believe me?)
Must kill all bugs dead, dead I say, dead. DEAD.
Because I really and truly hate all bugs. Sorry, folks.
It probably laid eggs in your brain while you slept.
Never squash spiders. Might have baby sac. Then millions. Eeeeeeew!
Not even kidding, I put a cup over them and wait for someone else to take care of them. When I moved in by myself this became somewhat of a problem, but luckily my best friend (and former roommate, thus she was aware of this problem) would come over and take care of them. Now it is my boyfriend’s job. If you see a cup turned upside-down in my house, don’t pick it up unless you want to be on bug-removal duty.
College days cricket plagues pushed me to cricket crunching. Oy vey.
My fiance puts them outside, against my pleas for death sentences.
Oh, and Bossy can’t handle bees. They wait for husband.
That there looks like a cave cricket.
Spiders cohabitate happily; ants squished. All others: husband transports outside.
In my house – must die!
Put outside – they come back!
Chubby Hubby Huffs to Rescue. Shakes head in absolute disgust.
TICKS, Always die painful death, all others, no Prob!
YAK!!!!!
Giant soaring roaches and spiders splat all the rest outside.
yell for dog and point..she eats everything..even mice..
for the record she just catches mice then we take away..
I have boyz. They stomp bugs even with bare feet!
Survival of the fittest. Sometimes the cats get them.
Mosquitoes, roaches, centipedes, black widow spiders: crunch. Others get liberated.
I am not afraid but they get sprayed with Raid.
I am the big bad black bug bully that bites. (not really)
Scorpions caught on glue trap, take a picture and blog it!
hairspray flying bugs (smells nice!) – AW – just call me bigfoot!
Michigan’s too cold for gross bugs. Big dog eats most bugs.
Lecture children on value of life. Kids distracted? Stomp stomp.
We have cats. “Found” bugs are usually “semi digested” bugs.
Scoop onto paper, set free outdoors. Hop Cricket Hop quickly!
Spider on laptop. Night. Freak out. Throw laptop across room.
Squash, mash, crunch, smunch, sploosh, splat, munch, blot them dead.
Stomp roaches, with someone else’s shoe. Other bugs go outside.
Scoop into pringles can, give live present to Chickens. Yum!
Roaches and flies killed. Everything else set free. That’s all!
Gasp. Squish. Smack. Squeel. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Scoop. Fling. Sigh.
I’ve been known to call in neighbors to help me.
Colorado used to squish. Now Florida: remove with front loader.
Five year old son: feed them to his venus flytrap.
Since cat’s death, bugs wait for husband. Westie’s not interested.
Crickets are good luck. They, and they alone, are spared.
I flush or crush, but husband wants me to vaccuum.
It depends. How scary the bug. How far the door!
When I catch camel crickets in my house I run.
Depends – I release spiders and squish or spray nastier bugs.
I squash the sucker and hope he has no friends!
set them free, unless they are bees/wasps – get raid!
Scary-ness of bug determines method of extermination and who exterminates.
Red hourglass…SQUASH…all others get to live another day.
If my son is watching, outside, if not, sqush em!
Sarah
Seattle, WA
I kill all bugs, except for moths, then sceam loudly…
This is one reason I got married. Yay, gender roles!
Use husband’s section of newspaper. Smush. Then put back unknowingly.
Swat flies. Free crickets. Leave spiders to do their job.
Kill them, except spiders, unless they’re big enough to crunch.
Unidentified beetles get ziplocked for the hub’s “possible roach” comparison.
Paralyze bug with can of hairspray; move in for the kill.
I take them outside – except roaches. They get squished flat.
Except for fleas and roaches (spray), they get escorted outside.
Carefully place 1972 tupperware glass over bug causing slow death.
Dyson, never loses suction, dump in trash, get a drink
The Exterminator sprays every month. I’m clearly not a Buddhist.
Scared of bugs, must run away, to gross to stay.
Look, assess, not deadly, ignore, Deadly, back up and yell!
If you’ll go without a fight, fine. If not: Mortein.
Spiders are lovingly escorted outside and the gnarly cockroach DIES!
All uninvited guests are destroyed. Bipeds only in our house.
I pin them for my insect collection for entomology class.
Non-deadly spiders always put outside. Insects – depends on species.
Apologize to the dreaded bug and then smash it dead!
I set them free to save them from cat Tripsie
Dog used to eat crickets, but now I kill them.
Camel Crickets! We get them by the DOZENS in our basements. There’s nothing like stumbling down there first thing in the morning to switch the laundry, flip the light on and have them start jumping all over the freaking place. Ewww….*shiver*
Oh, yeah, ten words: Dog eats them if the husband doesn’t rescue them first.
Ants, I smash without remorse. Anything vaguely cute like ladybugs or crickets, I take outside on a sheet of paper.
1. I try to be humane, after I scream bloody murder.
—–
2. Even so, there’s a special place in hell for ants.
I don’t like saying I flush them. So I won’t.
Bugs are forever; unfortunately in the news, Saturns are not
🙁
Spiders
crushed to death
by me
husband not motivated enough.
Bugs get smothered in whatever cleaning product I have near.
Scream loud.
Hubby comes to rescue –
Knows that’s his job!
Roaches must die, if I must do it I will.
usually take outside but sometimes suck them up with vaccuum
Never ever do I squash non-ant crawly critters. Even squashing ants makes me sad. But when I’m outnumbered by hundreds of the little buggers, what else can I do? Non-ants aside, I catch and release, and if a fragile leg or antennae thing happens to get broken off, causing the captured buggie to die, my heart weeps. And then I promise the bug kingdom that I’ll be extra mindful of their appendages next time around.
released into the wild (ha that was four. d’oh ten)
praying mantis gets a ride outside
spider smashed into goo
Outside, they live. Inside they are terminate. Black Widows? Torched.
Some are ignored. Spiders go back outside. Silverfish get squished.
Lysol the dangerous and annoying; release or ignore the others.
Cat runs and hides so i must escort bugs outside
I hate spiders. Thank God for the vacuum.
It is a cave cricket or AKA camelback cricket. I used to live on Camelback Circle and the house had tons of them. I did just what you are doing in the picture until hubby got home.
I roll them into little balls and toss them out.
1) It’s my house, not yours. Out or die. You decide.
2)You feelin’ lucky, punk? Go ahead, make my day. Squish!
Giant cane spiders, 8″ poison centipedes: Me. Husband’s shoe. BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM!
We live with them, set them free, sometimes accidentally squish.
Pay exterminator to rid house of Texas roaches; I’m terrified!
I’m a big softy so they all get put outside.
A tip: Fleabusters house treatment also deletes cockroaches. Whole year!
I ALWAYS let them out; a life is a life.
I make my husband smack them with his yellow flyswatter.
If bugs cross my threshold they are risking their lives.
I really thought I was the only one to go for anything in an aerosol.
I’m thanking God for regular sized centepeids, spiders, and ants. Your stories are scaring me!
Have to kill spiders for husband. Tissue, flush or toss.
Chris screams = spiders are seen. No (big) cockroaches here, though.
APPROPRIATE SIZED MEAS. CUP, OLD POSTCARD, SLIDING DOOR, RUN!!!!