The ground is warm enough that the earthworms are easy prey for the Robins. Bees are buzzing around pollinating on premature dandelions. Ants are breaking free of their underground winter hibernation. Butterflies are fluttering here and there. Little gnats and what some call “itty bitties” are swarming in the air. Spiders are starting to weave their intricate works of web art. Even a mosquito or two has been spotted searching for their next victim for blood sucking. Ticks are lurking around the tall dead grass. Box Elder bugs are everywhere in the hyper-amorous state of creating a mass invasion of even more of their kind. The bugs are everywhere.
For the most part I have nothing against bugs and insects. They have their place in nature and the world, I have mine. As long as we respect that we get along fine. They leave me alone and I will leave them alone. When boundaries are crossed . . . well, that’s when the conflict begins.
I believe in boundaries. Insects belong outside in God’s creation. They do not belong in the house. In the winter the pesky itty bitties see the house as their version of “going south” and make themselves a nuisance as they hatch out in the potting soil of the house plants. Because they are so small and practically unseeable except to the person they are harassing, I often appear to be viewed by others as having a fit as I swat and swear at the air. Outside of placing miniature sticky pads in the pots, they are winning the battle. I have threatened with the wife that I am going to replace all the plants with fake artificial plants. I am also losing that battle.
Another creepy crawler that seems to see the house as its winter destination is the Box Elder bugs. They like warmth and swarm on windows and doorways trying to get in. Box Elder bugs are worthless. They serve no real purpose. Birds do not like to eat them because of their foul odor and taste. No one likes them—NO ONE! Basically, their purpose is to produce more Box Elder bugs, and they do that quite well . . . millions of them! When I lived in Nebraska folks used to call them “Democrats” because there were lots of them and they were pretty useless. Give them credit . . . they are persistent in getting into the house.
My wife is a benevolent soul and views these invaders . . . these Box Elder bugs . . . as being misplaced and needing assistance in getting back out to the great outdoors. She captures them and releases them outside. Me . . . CRUSH them and throw them in the trash. After all, they crossed the boundary and consequences can be hell.
With the wife, any indoor insect is just a misplaced critter worthy of life . . . except for spiders, flies, and mosquitoes. These are not insects, they are pests. Despite the useful and wonderful purpose of spiders in controlling other insects, they are icky, creepy, and gross . . . untouchable. Their fate is to be smushed up in a tissue and flushed down the toilet. Flies are nuisances that carry germs and diseases. Mosquitoes bit and could have diseases that they transmit. They get the death sentence and there is no argument from the wife. As I have stated, there are consequences for crossing boundaries.
This early onslaught of insects indoors and out is testing my patience. It is way too early for flies, but they are here. Though I haven’t encountered any yet, my neighbors have claimed to have been bitten by mosquitoes already. Again, too early. Bees and buzzing and we even had a wasp in the house. With the wasp I felt merciful and shooshed it out an open door. Bees are laidback doing their own thing. If you leave them alone, they leave you alone. With the warm weather the flying insects are gathering enmasse. For the most part I endure them and only occasionally swat at them. The neighbors on the other hand really cannot tolerate them and have a massive blue glowing bug zapper in their yard. Nothing beats a beautiful warm evening out on the deck listening to bugs being zapped all night long.
As long as bugs respect the boundaries I will leave them alone . . . except for mosquitoes and ticks. In my estimation mosquitoes are like Box Elder bugs—there are lots of them and they are basically worthless. Indoors or outdoors, they get the death penalty. Same goes for their blood-sucking parasite cousins—ticks. The ticks came out with the first hint of warm weather. It’s too early. I have already removed two of these creepy crawlers off my body in the past month. It makes my skin crawl. Death to all ticks! No debate!
With the early spring and the warmth, it bathes everything in, why wouldn’t the insect world want to participate? They have returned in full force. They are appearing everywhere for better or worse. They cannot be avoided. They are a force to be reckoned with. My goal is to respect boundaries. If they respect my boundaries, they are free to exist. Disrespect and break the boundaries and they are fair game for the wrath of John. To each their own. How you handle the invasion of insects is up to you. If you are a tree hugging naturalist proclaiming that all God’s critters have a place in the choir . . . well, more power to you. I’ll stick to my boundaries. It’s been a battle that I have been fighting my whole life . . . what’s another year?
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