I would like to think me and the bugs have an understanding. You stay out of my way and leave mine to mine I will leave yours to yours. But you come near me it is war!

Oh, that's a katydid, and if you're a gardener, it's especially smooshable. They eat perfect circles in the sides of rose buds, not very much, but enough to keep it from opening. Then they move on to another bud, cafeteria style.

Regarding bugs, a praying mantis will scare the hell out of me, even if it's a teeny, tiny, little one. They're beautiful creatures, but there's something about them, something sinister, that still scares me.

My worst bug experience was some years ago, during a hot, humid summer in Germany. Like most German homes, I had no air conditioning. It was hard to sleep at night with that muggy weather, so I opened my windows to get at least a little breeze through my apartment. Note that windows in German homes don't usually have screens. I was awakened by something brushing my face. Another damn crane fly, I thought, until I noticed a dark shape on the wall at the foot of my bed. Turning on the light, I saw a huge grasshopper, oh, four inches long, at least! He'd landed on my head! Now, I'm running around my apartment at two in the morning in my undershorts trying to figure out how to catch this guy, because if I squash him, it would make a really disgusting splat. I finally emptied a plastic wastebasket, covered the grasshopper with it, and thumped the side to make him jump. Then I covered the top of the basket with a paper bag, and threw the whole kit and caboodle out on my balcony.

I slept the rest of the night with all the windows shut.

Earwigs. They scare the crap out of me. They remind me of tiny scorpions. I can't even go near one. If I ever see one, I get all catatonic and literally cannot move. *shudder*

I hate spiders. H.A.T.E. However, I'd like to think that spiders and I have an understanding regardless of my hatred of them. If they are outside, I leave them alone. I will walk around their webs (while clenching my jaws) and only have them knocked down if they are in a direct path and cannot walk around. Living in South Florida, I have learned that there are big ass spiders everywhere and it can't be avoided so I have learned to at least cope. Outside. (which is also partly why I don't even GO outside unless I have too) But, if they are in the house, all bets are off. And they must die. Only I can't actually go near them to kill them. Instead, I scream like a little girl and run to the other side of the house. Then I stand there going "ewewewewkillitkillitkillitkillit" until hubby gets up and goes to kill it. And thats not good enough either. I don't let him flush them because I have a compeltely irrational fear that it will somehow still be alive and then crawl back up the pipes, and into the bowl, then up to my ass while I am sitting and take a bite for revenge. (See I told you it was irrational). But I don't like him to throw them away either becuase I am also afraid it will crawl up to the top of the trash bag and bite me when I take it out. (again, also irrational). So, I demand that hubby take the "dead" arachnid to the yard, and toss it in the grass. That way, if it IS somewhow still alive, it will at least be outside where we have an "understanding".

Somehow Lizards in the house though don't bother me a bit. I think I've actually convinced myself that they are a good thing to have around because they eat bugs. (Yes yes I know spiders eat bugs too but they are disguting blood suckers who must die so they don't count in my book). I happen to have a tiny one living in my hubbys office right now.

I'd say it's a grasshopper. I could be wrong. Supposedly they're good eating, and there's a group (can't find the name right now) pushing bugs as "green" protein sources. I suppose they are, much easier and less polluting to ranch grasshoppers than cows. I prefer cow, though. I'm having leftover new york strip for breakfast.

I kill all bugs indoors (by smooshing, not sprays) but outdoors we let the teaming lizards handle them, except for fire ant bait.

Ew.. I cannot deal with spiders! Actually I'm fine with the ones that I KNOW for a fact aren't poisonous, like daddy-longlegs, but I don't care to get close enough to try identifying anything I can't determine safe at a glance. Plus the big ones are just icky!

One time, my husband and I were camping up at his parent's permanent camper site and they have a wood pile with a tarp over it for the fire pit. Well, he was gathering up wood and a snake slithered out and he jumped away and was like "oh, I'm done, ew ew ew" and I started laughing at him and teasing him, since little snakes that aren't poisonous don't bother me. I went go grab more wood and there was a spider the size of my hand on the pile. I screamed, and then started laughing, it was kind of the perfect punishment for my teasing him.

We get fruit flies from time to time, and my husband has started camping out in the kitchen with the vacuum and sucking them up with a little too much enthusiasm. He's like the Hoover sniper.

Last night we had a 4-5 inch flying beetle battling it out with our back deck lights. He finally fell from exhaustion and was dispatched by our dog. I'm not afraid of bugs, but this thing sounded like a helicopter!

Toads are cute as hell and eat bugs, so I am always happy to have a few toads around. I have two living somewhere in the vicinity of my patio, the Big Toad and the Little Toad. They come out at night and sit on the concrete sometimes. They have both grown like crazy over the summer - now I'd have to say they are both Big Toads. Last week, I left the patio door open, and one of them came in, hopped all over my place taking a tour, and then sat in front of the refrigerator like he expected me to make him a sandwich. I very gently put him back outside and told him to go find some mosquitoes.

Second the earwigs. Ewww ewww ewww.

I have a "live and let live" policy on spiders. You stay up on the ceiling, I'll leave you alone. Come down anywhere where I can get you with a paper towel, you're mine.

In some places, the praying mantids are big enough to eat the lizards:

http://travellingworm.wordpress.com.2010/02/13/a-praying-mantis-eating-a-lizard/

Ooops!

http://travellingworm.wordpress.com/2010/02/13/a-praying-mantis-eating-a-lizard/

There's just something inherently creepy about a bug with more than 6 legs all working together...the more legs, the creepier it is. I'm not a fan of any bug in the house, but if its only got six legs, I can usually deal with it. When we get to 8 or more legs, it just sends shudders down my spine. And I usually call for assistance with the dispatch!

I do spend a lot of time outdoors though and can generally handle them in their own space. I'll still avoid multi-leg creatures, but its their space I'm invading, so its my job to stay out of their way.

earwigs give me the creeps. It goes to when I was a young kid and the neighbor kids told me that they like to crawl into ears at night and sometimes eat into your brain. That was the origin of the term "wig-out." I was too young to know they were just BSing me.

The king of bug-me-nots, and especially of moths, is the electronic fly swatter sold by Harbor Freight. It's on sale several times a year for three bucks . . .

http://www.harborfreight.com/electronic-fly-swatter-40122.html

@Martin: "In some places, the praying mantids are big enough to eat the lizards:"

Martin, I'm not going to open that link. Sorry, I'm not.

I am not appreciative of fleas, flies, ticks, seed moths (damn hard to get rid of if they hatch in your pantry), earwigs and black widow spiders. Thos bitches will JUMP AT YOU if you spray them with bug spray. The spray just annoys them.

Tops on my hate list is mosquitoes. No mercy.

That is a lovely katydid picture.

Momof4, the movement you're thinking of is entomophogy (eating bugs). Some people advocate it for sustainable earth type stuff, but most of the people who are into it are adventure-eating folks.

FWIW - crickets are basically giant rice crisps once you remove the legs (the legs are very reminiscent of shrimp tails). They go great in cookies. Grubs and mealworms also cook up quite nicely. Mix with some cheese powder for a great snack, or caramel and popcorn for a tasty dessert. I don't care for silk worms. They remind me too much of lima beans in taste and texture - gross.

Maggots are just unholy to me.

Because of maggots, I hunt flies with a vengeance. When I see one in the house, I'll stalk them and squirt them from a spray bottle of bleach or alcohol.

Kills them quickly and it gives me sadistic pleasure knowing there's one less maggot-hatching fly in existence.

Oh, and don't forget electrical contact cleaner as it makes most bugs turn turtle and kick in about a second.

Maggots are good for you . . .

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-130983/Why-maggots-leeches-good-health.html

USAF couple goes to the military run "resort" on/in Hawaii. Get to the room and they have all these cockroaches running around the room. They call down to the front desk to complain. Front-desk says "We'll take care of it." Couple leaves for for a few hours and comes back to find about 20 geckos in the room. Call to the front desk "We have geckos in the room." The reply "Dou you still have cockroaches?"

Moths... if they get into your cabinets you have to do a thorough cleaning. We had some in our food cabinet.

Empty out all cabinets, wash they regularly, and then with bleach. Throw out all non-canned food that they eat (grains, nuts, look online for a list). Wasteful, you'll feel guilty, but it's got to be done. Then put them back.

With clothing moths, empty out the cabinets, have your clothes cleaned, wash the cabinets and bleach. Mothballs stink, but there are some good herbal mothaways that are made of mint and lavendar and smell quite nice.

I kill all spiders except daddy long legs.

All other bugs are relatively safe.

"I don't let him flush them because I have a completely irrational fear that it will somehow still be alive and then crawl back up the pipes, and into the bowl, then up to my ass while I am sitting and take a bite for revenge. (See I told you it was irrational). But I don't like him to throw them away---"

Irrational,but I agree. However, I believe that family members of the particular spider will seek revenge, in a mob, with horrible intent!

I am terrified of spiders, and understand you completely. They have hundreds of siblings. And do you think they have ghosts?

I'm a bit schizo, tho, because I don't dislike spiders, I totally respect their role in the ecosystem and all that, and would love to be brave enough to put them outside. But I let other people handle them, and I'm afraid they aren't into carrying them out, either...

If spiders were the size of kittems they'd be hunting humans

1) I HATE mosquitoes, therefore I rescue spiders.

2) All insects indoors are designated as "cat toys", thereby giving Isis The Mighty Huntress a reason to live.

3) I have many more problems with frequent earworms than with earwigs.