I Got The Wasp With A Flyswatter

Published on July 8, 2006 By MasonM In Blogging

When I got home today I noticed a wasp buzzing around in the house. As he wasn't really bothering anything and didn't seem interested in stealing my beer I decided to leave him alone for a while. I knew at some point I would need to get rid of him, but for a little while I didn't see any harm in letting him/her/it explore a bit.

I went into the bathroom a few minutes ago and there he/she/it was crawling around on the window screen. I decided it had spent enough time exploring my home and it was time to go. I grabbed my flyswatter and...no I didn't smack the innocent critter, I placed it against the screen so that it walked onto the swatter. I then carried it to the door and released it outside so that it could go about whatever pressing business it may have on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

It buzzed around my head for a few seconds and then flew off. I know it's silly but I like to think it was saying a quick "thanks for the lift" before zooming away.

Comments

Locamama

on Jul 08, 2006

You are a gentle soul. Any bugs in my house are squashed by me. My husband will catch and release spiders but I always worry that they will bite my kids while they are sleeping. Which reminds me there's a black widow making it's home in my garage and I forgot all about it. I have to go kill that sucker. I am allergic to insect stings so I freak out if there is a bee or wasp in the house or even worse in the car. That is almost a sure accident. I have to pull over and deal with it immediately before I start freaking out.

Gideon MacLeish

on Jul 08, 2006

I like your aproach, Mason. We rarely get wasps indoors, but we do the same with scorpions. We'll round them up in a cup, slide a piece of cardboard underneath, and carry them across the road to the open field, where they can conduct their scorpionly business.

MasonM

on Jul 08, 2006

#1 by Locamama
Sat, July 08, 2006 5:32 PM

[Locamama]
You are a gentle soul. Any bugs in my house are squashed by me. My husband will catch and release spiders but I always worry that they will bite my kids while they are sleeping. Which reminds me there's a black widow making it's home in my garage and I forgot all about it. I have to go kill that sucker. I am allergic to insect stings so I freak out if there is a bee or wasp in the house or even worse in the car. That is almost a sure accident. I have to pull over and deal with it immediately before I start freaking out.

I can undertand being concerned about children or having allergies. One of the funniest memories I have from being married was when my wife, who is allergic to bee stings, sat down on a wasp and was promptly stung in the ass for her trouble.

I rushed her to the hospital to be treated, they gave her the needed drugs and sent us home. When we got back home the wasp was still buzzing around the house and I offered to kill it. She refused and instead asked me to just catch it and put it outside where it belonged.

Even though it had stung her and caused an allergic reaction, she didn't blame it for being itself.

I have been snake bitten a few times and had to be treated but still harbor no ill will towards the snakes. It's what they do.

That poor black widow is just going about it's business. Wouldn't it be better to teach your children how to identify them and to know they are dangerous? It may do them far more good in the long run.

Spiders don't bite children while they are sleeping simply because children are too big for them to eat and they won't waste the energy on non-food except to defend themselves.

But then, my younger brother does have a white streak in his hair from a scorpion sting he received as a kid while sleeping. It was crawling on his head and in his sleep he swatted it at which point it stung him. He still likes scorpions just fine.

But seriously, I know most people swat them or whatever, and I'll swat a fly if it's bugging me (they carry disease), but if I can rid myself of a pest without killing it I will. I did my share of killing in my younger days and I need all the good kharma I get get now.

MasonM

on Jul 08, 2006

#2 by Gideon MacLeish
Sat, July 08, 2006 5:51 PM

I like your aproach, Mason. We rarely get wasps indoors, but we do the same with scorpions. We'll round them up in a cup, slide a piece of cardboard underneath, and carry them across the road to the open field, where they can conduct their scorpionly business.

Good for you, I do the same with the scorpions here.

Gideon MacLeish

on Jul 08, 2006

Good for you, I do the same with the scorpions here.

While I know you would eliminate one of the two, I have always taught my children that there are only two reasons to kill anything: for food or defense. Unfortunately, flies kind of fall into that "gray area" when they swarm through the house in late summer.

MasonM

on Jul 08, 2006

Killing a disease carrying creature is called defense in my book.

Dr Guy

on Jul 08, 2006

I like wasps, and usually try the same approach (scorpions? No way!).

But Hornets? The only good one is a dead one! ONe of the most worthless creatures God created to torment us!

MasonM

on Jul 08, 2006

I like hornets, especially the green ones.

Toblerone

on Jul 08, 2006

White Anglo-Saxon Protestants around the world sigh with relief.....

MasonM

on Jul 08, 2006

#9 by Toblerone
Sat, July 08, 2006 8:40 PM

White Anglo-Saxon Protestants around the world sigh with relief.....

This one really did make me

Dr Guy

on Jul 09, 2006

White Anglo-Saxon Protestants around the world sigh with relief.....

he's still got it!

dynamaso

on Jul 10, 2006

I'm a 'catch & release' guy too. Spiders, wasps, hornets, the occasional drunken backpacker, you name it, I'll catch it and release it back into the suburban 'wilds'.

MasonM

on Jul 10, 2006

#11 by Dr. Guy
Sun, July 09, 2006 11:21 AM

[Dr. Guy]

White Anglo-Saxon Protestants around the world sigh with relief.....

he's still got it!

Yep

MasonM

on Jul 10, 2006

#12 by dynamaso
Mon, July 10, 2006 02:05 AM

[dynamaso]
...the occasional drunken backpacker...

I remember you...

Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:

Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums.
Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
It's simple, and FREE!