Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Frogs, Spiders & Bugs, OH MY!

This little guy somehow made it into our home a few mornings ago. Buddy was trying to gently pick him up so I grabbed the camera to capture the moment. This boy is so sweet with creatures!

Sometimes I think I have developed a creature-phobia of some sort over the years. Maybe now I'm just overcompensating for all the gross things I played with as a child. I should dig up all the photos I have as a young girl where I'm posing with snakes, bugs and critters. Even more interesting is that I had a mating pair of corn snakes as a teenager. I think I starting freaking out around that time!

I can handle little frogs, rolly-pollys, ants, and ladybugs. THAT'S IT! Anything else, forget it. I'll be down the street, screaming like a little girl. I definitely get freaked out by reptiles, spiders, and creepy crawly insects. I'm more of a warm-and-fuzzy puppy dog lover for sure.

For 5 1/2 years we lived in a 3rd floor condo, where we rarely saw a pest of any kind. Just the yearly tiny spider if anything. Then, we moved in March to a bottom floor apartment. I have NEVER seen so many bugs in my life!!! Somewhere in the time of having a lack of bugs, to an overload of them, I'm developed this extreme dislike.

First, we've found lots of millipedes. I'm now tormented for life from my first encounter with one after we moved in to our new place. I had no idea it wouldn't squish like other bugs! The hard, crispy "shell" under the tissue I was trying to squish it with was a bit too thin. I cried, screamed, and was trying to avoid complete hyperventilation at the hand of a stinking bug! I was probably hilarious to watch (I know my hubby thinks I was!), but I was literally shaking over this thing! I don't know exactly what they are. I'm too grossed out to look them up and find out. All I know is about 20 of those darn 2-inch-long things have made there way into our home (that I know of....), and I've had to catch them. 

We've also had TONS of spiders. Most of them aren't small either. Their bodies are the size of a dime, with thick, fuzzy legs, and are super speedy. They've been found in every area of our apartment, and even IN Buddy's diaper caddy that was by our bed!!!! I even found a spider crawling on my back the other day too. Luckily that one was small enough to squish and I didn't squeal too loudly. Apparently size matters when it comes to creepy crawly creatures.

We've had many species of bugs and critters since we've been here, but the millipedes and spiders have been the absolute most disgusting. As much as I'd love to have our apartment maintenance crew spray for bugs, I won't let them. With a kid, an organic garden on the patio (although my black thumb is killing it anyway), and a loathing for harsh chemicals, I just won't. Dangit! I'm totally in a pickle here. Any advice is certainly appreciated!

Oh, please don't get on my case for squishing bugs. I'd rather do that than let them find their way back into our place! :P

9 comments:

Jaedyn said...

Haha, I feel the same way! I wish we had found a frog, Emma would LOVE that. :) She's never seen one before. She has met all of the bugs that worm their ways into our lives, though. lol The bug that least bothers me is a ladybug, though when we lived in Missouri we lived in a house that was INFESTED with them! I had never seen so many ladybugs, it was awful. They covered the windows. I don't usually kill ladybugs, but when there are that many, you just have to stop thinking about it. lol

Brittney Minor said...

I totally understand! I hate things in my house! If I don't kill them, then they might come back!!!! This post made me laugh!!!

Brenda H said...

My nephew has found satisfaction is squishing anything that is running outside rather than screaming like a little girl. It seems now that we are out West that things have become bigger and uglier as far as bugs and spiders go.

K. Elizabeth @ YUMMommy said...

I had a pet frog in the 3rd grade. My mom was terrified of it.

Susie B. Homemaker said...

What a cute photo! I don't know what happened as I got older either, but I'm afraid of everything. lol And I grew up in the country and have picked up or squished all sorts of bugs when I was little.

Becky W said...

What a cute photo. We had one visit our backroom last night about 5 times the size...I was expecting him to be smaller...I too do not like spiders or their webs! Thank you for sharing!

About a Mom said...

What a cute little frog! We have a real problem with daddy long leg spiders. I am terrified of them!

NetWorkingWitches said...

Awww, I'm not afraid of most creatures or bugs but deathly afraid of snakes. I think they wait for me lol.

My kids have the love of all creatures and it makes me happy to see them playing with them.

Mama said...

Ack! I totally hear ya! I've been battling with spiders and creepy crawly bugs here too. We just moved to the country and our house seams to have know end to the HUGE spiders. I am deathly afraid of them! I have my husband check our room each night to make sure there aren't any close to our bed or our daughters bed.

I heard that if you rub yourself down with vinegar you won't get bitten. So I've been rubbing my daughter down with it. She keeps getting bit.

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