Bugging Me

[Eclipse Dragon]

So I unfortunately live in a place with a lot of creepy crawlies. We have everything from supersized versions of normal insects (like mosquitoes big enough to carry off small children and grasshoppers the size of rats). We also have seasonal pests (like fleas) that stay all year long, and the usual assortment of bastards straight out of your worst nightmares. I know that not all of these creepy crawlies are exclusive to my area, some with far reach, striking terror into the hearts of millions the world over. Without further ado, here are a few (dis)honorable mentions.

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Spoiler: Love Bugs

These little pests pop up twice a year. They descend in swarms with only one thing on their mind, love. They don?t care about eating and nothing cares to eat them. They live the entirety of their short lives in a mad dash to reproduce, before they die three days later. Unfortunately for them, many won?t even survive the full three days, instead ending up smashed on the front of vehicles, their little acidic bodies eating away at the paint job.

Spoiler

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Spoiler: The Palmetto Bug

Imagine a cockroach as long as a GBA cartridge. Now imagine that it also flies and thinks your wonderful head of hair is an excellent place to hide.

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Spoiler: Bed Bugs

If your cat ever pulls one of these off your wall in the middle of the night, congratulations, you've now been introduced to the steaming pile of paranoia that is bed bug infestation. Although bedbugs don?t spread disease, these little monsters deserve a special place in hell for the sheer psychological torture they impart on their victims. Bedbugs are like little ninjas, they live in the cracks and crevices of your bed[footnote]or your power outlets, or your alarm clock, or your dresser, or the seams of your carpet[/footnote] laying in wait for you to enter into the deepest stages of sleep before they lurk out to feast on your delicious blood. Make no mistakes either, these creatures aren't after your dog or your cat, they?re after YOU.

You don?t even have to be a messy person, you can be the cleanest person and they can infest your living space through a U-Haul, second hand furniture, or a quick stay at a hotel[footnote] doesn't matter how ?nice? the hotel is either[/footnote]. Once infested you may find yourself losing sleep, wrapping sticky tape around your bed legs (or using bowls of oil), dousing everything in 90% isopropyl alcohol, throwing it all in the dryer on the highest heat setting available, and potentially setting your living space on fire.

The worst part is, you may never be comfortable again. Bedbugs change you. You may find yourself making careful decisions about the type of furniture you purchase for fear of giving bedbugs too many places to hide. You may not want to collect anything because clutter makes it worse, and there will always be that fear in the back of your mind that they?re not really gone for good, they?re just laying in wait for the perfect opportunity to re-infest.

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So my fellow Escapians, what creepy crawlies bug you?

 

[Thaluikhain]

Once infested you may find yourself losing sleep, wrapping sticky tape around your bed legs (or using bowls of oil), dousing everything in 90% isopropyl alcohol, throwing it all in the dryer on the highest heat setting available, and potentially setting your living space on fire.

Or using a bug bomb. Those are quite good at getting rid on infestations. Had to get rid of fleas a few weeks back, bug bombs did the job.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

Or using a bug bomb. Those are quite good at getting rid on infestations. Had to get rid of fleas a few weeks back, bug bombs did the job.

Bug bombs don't work on bedbugs. If you know of one that does, I'd be very interested in hearing about it.

The only things that can kill them are specialized pesticide, 90% isopropyl alcohol, diatomaceous earth, extreme heat, or sustained extreme cold.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Bug bombs don't work on bedbugs.

Google says you're right.

And now I feel itchy

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Nothing's worse than roaches for me. Filthy fucking creatures.

 

[Imp_Emissary]

Hehehe. Reminds me of this Mass Effect comic.

Spoiler: No bugs on Rannoch.

[http://s123.photobucket.com/user/robertklish2/media/rlUyl_zps676a001c.png.html]

Too bad you can't eat anything on Rannoch......And too bad it isn't real.

Spoiler: We can dream of a place with none of these.

[http://s123.photobucket.com/user/robertklish2/media/DBM033Whipscorpioncloser_zps44cc4deb.jpg.html]

A easier question would be, "what bugs don't bother you?" ;p

There are some, but not many.

 

[Mr Fixit]

Spoiler: The Palmetto Bug

Imagine a cockroach as long as a GBA cartridge. Now imagine that it also flies and thinks your wonderful head of hair is an excellent place to hide.

I haven't seen a Palmetto Bug since I left Florida & I do not miss the damn things.

The most annoying creepies I deal with every year now are June Bugs.

Spoiler

Things fly very fast just a couple feet off the ground & they are hard as a rock & don't seem to mind running into things. It stings a bit when you get hit, I had one hit me it the neck one time, it left a bruise. Damn things are everywhere for a couple months glad it's just a couple months.

Oh & ladybugs call all die in a fire too... my house gets invaded by the things every year.

And last but not least Cicadas....

Spoiler

That constant droning hum goes on all damn day long... I've heard it get so loud & intense that it actually started to make me dizzy & feel very strange, like I was being hypnotized or something. Luckily we only have to deal with them every few years.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

Hehehe. Reminds me of this Mass Effect comic.

Spoiler: No bugs on Rannoch.

[http://s123.photobucket.com/user/robertklish2/media/rlUyl_zps676a001c.png.html]

Too bad you can't eat anything on Rannoch......And too bad it isn't real.

Spoiler: We can dream of a place with none of these.

[http://s123.photobucket.com/user/robertklish2/media/DBM033Whipscorpioncloser_zps44cc4deb.jpg.html]

A easier question would be, "what bugs don't bother you?" ;p

There are some, but not many.

haha oh god that comic is glorious. completely agree with it.

OT: tarantula's and snakes bug the fuck out of me, basically any HUGE kind of spider and all snakes.

this made my cringe hard with nightmare fuel:

Spoiler

 

[Frezzato]

There is a picture on the web of these giant hornets, dead ones, that someone has in their hand. The hornets themselves are about as long as the person's hand is wide. I'll refrain from posting that image.

Yeah, giant hornets with toxic stings the size of your thumb. It doesn't matter that they're restricted for the most part to China, it's the idea that with global travel and trade being prevalent, they could easily travel the world. That idea sticks in my mind. It's kind of nightmare fuel really. It truly does bug me.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

The most annoying creepies I deal with every year now are June Bugs.

Things fly very fast just a couple feet off the ground & they are hard as a rock & don't seem to mind running into things. It stings a bit when you get hit, I had one hit me it the neck one time, it left a bruise. Damn things are everywhere for a couple months glad it's just a couple months.

I was actually thinking about including June Bugs in my list of dishonorable mentions. Not because I find them pesky, but because they remind me of elderly Florida drivers.

And last but not least Cicadas....

I think cicadas and crickets are soothing, like a cat's purr, but that only works when there's a lot of them singing together. A stray one or two that get into your bedroom and start chirping are just annoying. I used to have a pet lizard who ate crickets. I had to feed them to him before they became mature, otherwise they'd chirp at night when I was trying to sleep. One time I accidentally tipped the critter cage over and they escaped, I knew that evening I hadn't caught them all.

 

[Mr Fixit]

The most annoying creepies I deal with every year now are June Bugs.

Things fly very fast just a couple feet off the ground & they are hard as a rock & don't seem to mind running into things. It stings a bit when you get hit, I had one hit me it the neck one time, it left a bruise. Damn things are everywhere for a couple months glad it's just a couple months.

I was actually thinking about including June Bugs in my list of dishonorable mentions. Not because I find them pesky, but because they remind me of elderly Florida drivers.

And last but not least Cicadas....

I think cicadas and crickets are soothing, like a cat's purr, but that only works when there's a lot of them singing together. A stray one or two that get into your bedroom and start chirping are just annoying. I used to have a pet lizard who ate crickets. I had to feed them to him before they became mature, otherwise they'd chirp at night when I was trying to sleep. One time I accidentally tipped the critter cage over and they escaped, I knew that evening I hadn't caught them all.

"Elderly Florida drivers" is an excellent way to describe the way June Bugs fly around, made me laugh so much.

And a few Cicadas or Crickets are fine,can be quite soothing, but I live quite a ways out in the boonies surrounded by woods in a valley so it's like being stuck in an echo chamber with them. They mess with my head when they hit their peak.

 

[ClockworkPenguin]

I'm quite lucky in that in addition to living in the UK, where it's usually to wet and cold for insects to bother most of the year, I grew up in a house that had a roost of pipistrelles living in the roof.

Spoiler

As well as being cute and fluffy, they eat all the insects. It did get weird when you could hear scurrying sounds in the wall when you where trying to sleep, but you get used to it very quickly

 

[inactive123]

We get these stupid flying peanuts every year called Christmas beetles.

Spoiler

Although smaller and not as solid they're similar to the June bug in the sense that they don't mind flying into things and are really more annoying than creepy.

 

[Imp_Emissary]

I'm quite lucky in that in addition to living in the UK, where it's usually to wet and cold for insects to bother most of the year, I grew up in a house that had a roost of pipistrelles living in the roof.

Spoiler

As well as being cute and fluffy, they eat all the insects. It did get weird when you could hear scurrying sounds in the wall when you where trying to sleep, but you get used to it very quickly

Oh may God that is so cute! AND they eat lots of bugs. What more could you ask of a creature in exchange for letting them live near/in your home?
Other than rent, which would be a bit unreasonable.

We had some bats in our attic for years, but haven't seen them around for a few years now.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Nothing's worse than roaches for me. Filthy fucking creatures.

Would it gross you out if you heard my family and I are breeding Argentinian Roaches as food for our Bearded Dragons? Because we are and they are strangely endearing bugs.

Are they any different from the roaches you find in US soil?

We get these stupid flying peanuts every year called Christmas beetles.

Spoiler

Although smaller and not as solid they're similar to the June bug in the sense that they don't mind flying into things and are really more annoying than creepy.

Good god I hate these too. They fly into EVERYTHING. How the fuck does the species survive?

 

[Imp_Emissary]

Nothing's worse than roaches for me. Filthy fucking creatures.

Would it gross you out if you heard my family and I are breeding Argentinian Roaches as food for our Bearded Dragons? Because we are and they are strangely endearing bugs.

I'm not generally grossed out by anything, although normal flying Roaches in America annoy the balls out of me.

To be fair, there's a big difference between wild roaches that walk around/eat filth, then try to get in your food, and the ones raised by people.
I don't mind bugs as long as they're clean, and can't hurt me.

My 6th grade science teacher actually had some pet roaches. She was trying to breed her female, but never noticed it working.

Until one day she cleaned out her container to find it had many little white baby roaches inside. It was too late to put them back, so she just threw them away, and put the mom back in.

This is where it gets a bit sad.

The mom roach noticed the babies were gone, and freaked the F@#K out. Ran all over the aquarium and dug in the wood chips looking for the babies.

The teacher felt real bad about that.

 

[Someone Depressing]

I used to get a lot of roaches. I swear, when I turned on my light when I walked into the kitchen, for less than 1/10th of a second, at least half the floor was brown to black. It was disgusting.

 

[EHKOS]

Well, despite living in Michigan, where the most dangerous thing to fear is the Black Widow (which is still pretty rare here)I have a few bugs of choice.

A personal experience as soon as I moved out on my own was an ant infestation. Not the worst thing, but seeing about fifty of the buggers in a four square inch space is a bit worrying.

The worst bug I encounter are the earwigs. They love to jump out and scare you. I always had to check if the bathroom was clear. I was reading a book once on the toilet after making sure there were none in sight, I felt a tickle on my foot and I looked down in horror as there was one on my foot, and two more were moving in on me.

Since then, I've had one hide on the underside of the soap bar, giving me an early morning heart attack.

Also they LOVE to hang on the ceiling when you shower and tease you. They'll let go with their front legs as if they're going to fall on you, like it's funny to them.

 

[inactive123]

We get these stupid flying peanuts every year called Christmas beetles.

Spoiler

Although smaller and not as solid they're similar to the June bug in the sense that they don't mind flying into things and are really more annoying than creepy.

Good god I hate these too. They fly into EVERYTHING. How the fuck does the species survive?

I have no idea. I find at least 3/4 of them in our kitchen every night during the Christmas season. They're almost always stuck on their backs and unable to get up again. Useless little buggers.