Humane Bug Removal

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.

Well it makes sense...I mean when you jump in cold water you lose your breath and "freeze" a little. So I imagine that the wasp would go into a little bit of shock as well. Interesting though!

I encountered an ant problem they would be all over the place in 1 room so instead of killing them with an ant trap I took 1 chip and placed it near where they seem to gather most. Havent seen them as much latley Guess they found food close @ home and decided to avoid searching for it. I wouldnt place a large bag of chips or nothing near them but 1 chip had them busy for over 2 weeks

I agree with everything except bedbugs.... my landlord had an issue when I lived in New York and neglected to tell anyone, I wish I had had the strongest most caustic stuff known to rid myself of those critters.... they do not deserve the same treatment other bugs get IMO...

Thank you for this tip - lovely

I never liked the idea of killing bugs just because they 'bug' me out so to speak. I always catch and release spiders using the glass and hard board trick. although to be truthful it makes my stomach turn and my skin crawl.
'Wasps I deal with by just giving them direction (verbally) as to how to find their way out my window lol.
I never chase them around. But I do say a firm no! when they are headed in the wrong direction and try to think positive thoughts as they are heading in the right one. (Yeah I know a little on the unconventional side but it works for me and the wasps. Only rarely is one so aggressive that I have to take it's life. And when I do it really hurts so I automatically think and sometimes whisper I'm sorry when I do.

But then again I am the type that direct an "I'm sorry" at a creature if i accidentally step on it or when I wave a fly or mosquito off of me.

So thank you for the ice water trick I will definitely try it out. It does make sense for an insect to become temporarily paralyzed when slightly chilled. I wonder if it works for spiders too.

Sometimes its the littlest questions that carry the heaviest weight lol. With that if you keep areas as clean as possible that may help prevent infestations from the infesting kind of bugs. The other insects that tend to not attract to filth related areas are naturally existing in their original areas but may have had a house built on their home so they in turn somewhat become neighbors. The Other kind that seek out certain unhealthy conditions to breed and or infest like parasites, AGAIN require removal and the area disinfected and cleaned properly to prevent their interest in your home zone.

Reply to post by Morningglory

This is kind of a long the lines of your post, a good way to help keep bad bugs away from your garden humanely. I wish I were at a pc so I could post a reference link. Lol

But basically I do a lot of gardening and take to plants very fondly lol About two years ago while researching ways to get rid of bugs on plants without using insecticides I came across a site offering live bug eggs. Basically there are different types of insects that may not be native to your area, wasps etc, that gorge on common garden bugs. At first I was hesitant about the thought of releasing a non-native species but most are not suited for cold weather and die off each winter (which as I'm typing this seems kinda inhumane in itself : / hmm lol) but I have found a world of differnce using them, and in combination with a few other natural remedies, and carefull planning, haven't used insecticides since!

Just a thought, nice post


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

reply to post by Morningglory


My good friend Terry The Vacume Cleaner is very persuasive when it comes to humanely ethnically cleansing bugs. 1300 watts of suck your eyes out power and a bagless vortex sends the nastiest of crawlies into a spen and the transparent dust bucket allows for hours gloating at the little bastards that would give you a nsty nip or a vindictive virus.

Great idea! I have the same issue with mindlessly spraying poison everywhere just to kill a couple bugs. Friends shake their heads when I catch a spider and take it outside rather than smashing it.
All I can say is that every life matters. If you respect the little ones big creatures like humans are much easier to tolerate.
People fail to realize just how important insects are - we'd be dead without them. They do far more than just pollinate plants, they are part of the process that turns organic matter back in soil, they create conditions so that rainwater soaks in the ground instead of running off, etc.
I also find them endlessly fascinating. Each species is a marvel of engineering adapted perfectly to it's environment.

I'll have to confess to spraying a yellow jacket nest last weekend. They stung my wife and our dog several times.
I would like to know how to kill a nest without using toxins though, anyone know of a way?

reply to post by Morningglory


Bit off topic...maybe.... but swine "pig" stuff is great for humans...heance heart valves, full transplants pig hearts, closest to human as you can get..
I by accident, was at a swine farmer friends ...putting what ammounts to advantix, for pigs on their backs, just like you do dogs and cats, to keeps fleees, ticks and flies away, long story short....tube said wear gloves and such...I did not "this lasted a good 90 days"...but I'm not gonna be breading, "having kids" and have been using this for 15 years or longer....flies won't even land on me....Now I'm not advocating this, or claiming it safe......DO NOT do this......

Also heard rumour of cinnamon, and cedar oil extract....hell some of the peeps I seen camping this weekend had flea collars around their ankles...

______________________

Cedar oil shampoo for pets is safe around kids and has
lasting properties.
Put some in a spray bottle and spray pet beds, around door-thresholds,
and outdoor patios. It keeps the bugs away.

______________________

reply to post by Asktheanimals


Smoke it out... they just get drowsy and makes it easier to move the nest to a new locale

Smmmmmmmaaaaack!

That's how I humanely remove bugs.

Little guys never know what hit 'em.

humanely removing insects, seriously, look at it this way, if the spider or fly was the same size it would destroy you, it has no concept of what is right, wrong, pain etc

reply to post by Ophiuchus 13
Loved the chip idea, we sometimes have to think like bugs.

reply to post by IAmD1
Haven't been too successful with voice commands yet. I usually spout off a host of obscenities when the red centipedes run over my foot. So far it doesn't seem to phase them one bit.

reply to post by Ophiuchus 13
Well I'm not really talking about infestations. I also believe preventative measures in advance is the best method. None of my animals have ever been bothered with fleas. I think it's because we live around cedar/pinon trees. The needles are piled up everywhere. Keeping animals/carpets clean is a must.

reply to post by itswhatev
Predator insects are the best. That's why I never kill wasps. I had a plant full of mites. I sat it outside and the wasps swarmed it till they were pretty much gone.

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 also plant morning glories around my garden. I think they're sweeter than vegies and the bugs seem to prefer them.

reply to post by vkey08
As far as bed bugs go would a water bed work? I love mine and never had a problem. They probably wouldn't be allowed in apartments though.

reply to post by ToneDeaf
I imagine cedar oil would be great. I believe cedar prevents fleas. It's often said to be good for moths. We have tons of moths so not sure about that one.

reply to post by Asktheanimals
I'm not bothered with yellow jackets so I can't help you there. I like vikey08's idea to smoke them out.

Thanks for all the wonderful tips. Keep em coming.

reply to post by blueorder
What you say is very true insects can be brutal. Like them or not they serve a vital role.

I read somewhere without the dung beetle we'd be in a world of s.....

reply to post by Morningglory


Funny thing about bedbugs, despite the name.. they like to hide in the crevices made when wood hits wall, or under carpeting as we found out the hard way.. They also love to infest warm areas like the insides of TV's Microwaves, Computers, etc.. the ONLY two ways to rid yourself of them are heavy duty pesticides OR heating the whole building's inside to about 150 F. Of course that heat will destroy anything else you have too so int he end it's the same thing, you lose everything..

Luckily where i live now doesn't have a problem like that, spiders and ladybugs are about as tense as it gets LOL.

_________________

My neighbors are always spraying their lawns, spraying this & spraying
for that. Yet the bugs and constant spraying never ends;
the only thing that it accomplishes is to destroy the natural healthy
environment and promotes more bugs !
Look at Monsanto, the bugs have become resistant and come back in full force
now that the natural healthy environment is gone.
Monsanto Corn dystroyed by Rootworm

I have a general agreement with most creatures, I leave them alone and
they leave me alone, Lol except for one spider that managed to
hide under the key-board once.
Deter them by removing dead wood and stagnant water, over seeding
the lawn, sealing all windows and doors etc.
A few bugs is a sign of a healthy environment esp for food, if a bug wont touch it it should tell you something, they are as the 'canary in the coal mine'.


________________

reply to post by vkey08
Wow I had no idea they were that bad. My mom told me when she was a kid in North Carolina bedbugs and roaches could be a problem. My grandma was a cleaning fanatic but she still had to use pesticides

Here in southern Colorado we have some pretty nasty critters. Centipedes, camel spiders, black widows and sand scorpions to name a few. We get some pretty giant bumble bees that like to perch in trees. They'll come after you if you get too close to their tree.

My all time favorite insect is the sphinx moth. They look just like small hummingbirds. I plant flowers for them and the hummingbirds...no sugar syrup feeders at my house they can attract bears. I do battle with all kinds of things out here in the country but human infestation imo is by far the worst. Lucky for me I'm not too bothered by them since I live in the middle of nowhere.

reply to post by ToneDeaf
You are so right. It's sad the ranchers around me decided grasshoppers were eating up the pasture so they put down some kind of poison bait. It killed all the horny toads. I look for them but haven't seen one in 20 years.