What is the worst insect and why is it pic related?
Horseflies are fucking awful.
>>2067849
I have literally never had any problems with those. On the contrary, they're cute as heck.
>>2067849
They don't bother me at all, they're easy to pick up and release, and don't cause any problem in my house.
Pic related is a real piece of shit.
>>2067858
Let's just get parasites in general out of the way
>>2067849
mosquitos, how is this even a question
>>2067979
Mosquitos aren't the worst.
Google image chiggers.
>>2067860
There's an invasive Chinese species of them flooding my area for the last few years. They get goddamn everywhere and constantly pop up in the house, even in the winter. Fucking immigrant pieces of shit. I flush them so they can go where they belong, with the rest of the turds. Plus you can't squish them or vacuum them.
>>2067979
>only a problem during the summer
>the worst
Not even close.
>>2068014
Someone introduced these things into my neighborhood 3-4 years ago:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aedes_aegypti
They are active from like april to november and leave permanent damage where they bite, I look like a heroin user or something with all the scars on my ankles and arms.
>>2067986
Those look awful too, but at least they don't follow you inside your house.
>>2067986
Chiggers are arachnids, nigger.
>>2068175
enjoy your dengue fever, zika and chikunguya
>>2068007
>hangs out on an animal related board
>hates animals
>>2068007
They're fucking everywhere. I looked up where to buy a predatory insect that could kill them. I'd have to order some Asian wasp. These bitches are takin over my house. In the cupboards. Coming from the sink drain. I went to open my fridge the other day and there was one on the backside of the handle. It bit the shit out of me. I hate them so much
>>2067849
Holy shit, I never knew what these were until now. They are annoying and I don't know how they are surviving in my house.
How do I get rid of these little shits?
>>2068245
Just fix whatever holes they're coming in from.
They look like carpet beetles. Fucking hate those things. My house has had waves and waves of various bugs. It's been hell. Carpet beetles took MONTHS to get rid of. Keeping my clothes in vacuum sealed bags constantly. Got rid of my mattress. It's miserable.
I ended up getting some DE and put it all over my room and it looked like a crack den for a month. Problem solved for my room. Who knows how fucked my roommate's rooms are.
I also had a HUGE moth problem thanks to roommates NEVER cleaning their kitchen the years they lived in the house before I moved in. Moth problem came up two months after I moved in. Pic related.
It's hard to choose which is worse... Carpet beetles or moths. They both disturb my sleep and fuck with my food.
the reason why you just can't relax outside.
they ruin every picnic/bbq/camping trip.
I hate gnats, so i've just finished a football game with my friends, ok? and I have literally 5 of these things flying into my eyes, ears, and nose, its annoying because you cannot relax and rest when an insect that makes the most annoying sound ever, flies into your eyes or ears.
>>2067860
I love these guys. Whenever I find them in the winter I put them with my plants.
>>2068007
>>2068245
You sound like pussies
>>2067849
Whats up dink?
>>2068014
>only a problem during the summer
where the fuck do you live and how can i get there?
>>2067849
They get into your house -somehow- and never die. I haven't seen spiders eating them. And if you try to kill them yourself they're both big enough to leave a mess and are full of this nasty smelling brown fluid.
God, fuck these things. They smell like shit and they sound like wasps when they fly, so I always have a mild heart attack when I hear one but its always just one of these smelly fuckers.
>>2067979
It isn't. You're totally correct.
>>2067849
Bot flies exist
>>2068929
B O T F L Y
O
T
F
L
Y
greetings from /g/
>>2067849
Are you people serious?
>>2068785
you're not supposed to squish them. just gently pick them up with a tissue and take them outside or flush them down the toilet. they barely move around, they're piss easy to catch.
>>2068960
>>2068960
>is this a pigeon?
>>2067849
Come on, they are not that bad.
>>2068999
Yup. Now go away
>>2068245
Wheel bugs are your friend anon
>>2067849
I fucking hate those bastards.
They invade my house every winter.
Fuck yellowjackets
>Honeybees make honey and help plants get laid
>Bumble bees are cute and fuzzy
>Hornets are scary but they mostly hunt and kill shit
Yellow Jackets are just assholes who will land in your soda and sting you for fun, then set up shop in the shed right between the hose and the lawn mower. Fuck em, eat Raid motherfuckers.
I would be fine with them if they didn't always make nests right above my door and dive bomb me. The more reddish looking ones tend to be more aggressive. Also these >>2069984
Oh hi Anon I didn't see you there!
Look at my bright coloring and cute little spots!
Ain't I just adorable?
I hope you think so, because me and my four hundred sisters are going to creep into your house and hang around all your lamps and computer screens for the next six months!
>>2067979
Something has to keep the African population down
>>2070541
This
We had a literal infestation of these fuckers in my dorm room. I had like 30 of em at least on my wall and ceiling at one point. And if you kill them, their blood signals their friends to come fuck with you in memoriam of them. It sucks so bad
>>2067849
Would any of you smarties know if insects, specifically a roach, molts again after it has wings?
Thanks in advance.
>>2070585
lel
Tim?
>>2070594
Ayy Greg!! What's up my man? Been a while
>>2067986
They prefer to be called chegros.
>>2067849
This roach is crazy. I am watching him and thinking he is sleeping. He has been going between plucky and sleepy for a few days now in a noticeably atypical way.
I like to watch him and see how he lays his antennae to get an idea of how he feels. Tonight he seems especially relaxed.
Earlier, I remarked about how he scratches his bum a lot, and I wondered if it was nervous behavior, since he has no one to socialize with.
Anyways, info on roaches is a little hard to find in detail at least, you just get a lot of extermination info.
So I am wondering if he is able to molt after he gets his wings, which he got in the last molt.
Because tonight, just moments ago, he was wagging his bum like crazy. He actually looked like he was dancing! So I figured maybe he was in that stage where his skin is shifting in preparation for molting. But I didnt know they could molt after they get wings.
He sure is cheerful company though. I gave him his meal earlier today, some coconut donut that he seemed to quite relish. I am going to skip his habitat cleaning tonight cuz he seems to really be enjoying his rest. He has gotten a lot bigger and his posture and gait have changed a little, which is why I thought it might be a molt coming again.
It was funny seeing him wag his butt like he was dancing though. I never saw a roach twerk lel
>>2067979
this no matter how many you kill they swarm although it
GODDAMNIT YOU HATEFUL LITTLE SHITS, WHY WON'T YOU LET ME GROW MY ZUCCHINI IN PEACE
load up on diatomaceous earth and lint rollers if you ever encounter these fuckers.
>>2067849
>>2067858
Deer flies are so much worse
>>2070691
What type of roach is he?
>>2070952
At first, when he was a juvenile, I thought he was a German roach. Now that he's an adult, I'm not sure, he looks more like a regular American roach.
I worry when he gets so relaxed. I worry that I am mistaking sedated behavior for being comfortable when he might be sick. I also worry that he will get too fat and tame and not have his defensive instincts to flee when I let him go in about six weeks.
I wish I could take a picture, but the optics of his habitat, a plastic jar, would make such a blurry pic.
Ive gained such an appreciation for his anatomy in the last few weeks. When he lounges about cleaning himself like a cat, I marvel how he can coordinate two points in space, his mouth and feet with such tiny compact neural hardware, especially when he uses a 'paw' to pull an antennae to his mouth to clean it.
He's been waddling a bit, with a clumsier gait and lazier resting posture. I suspect, like a teenager, he is adapting to his new size as he grows.
He gives me something to care for and brings me joy and appreciation. I want him to be healthy and ready for the big world when I let him go. Its hard, knowing he is prey for so much. But I dont feel right keeping him captive, even if he is just a bug. He was born wild. Im only keeping him to spare him from the cold, but I cant let him loose in the home, of course.
THEY'RE FUCKING EVERYWHERE
>>2071045
You're fucking nuts, it's a god damn roach.
>>2071093
It's a living thing, an animal. He is perfect company for me, and I am grateful.
Maybe Im nuts. But Roach is still pretty special.
>>2067849
These little bastards are the worst.
>>2070895
Holy shit I hate these little fuckers, they always come into rooms with air-conditioning.
>>2071557
They aren't so bad if you don't scare them. When people flail at them, they naturally react as being attacked. I find that if you are calm and just let one investigate whatever has him curious, they are quite docile.
If they are taking too long, the trick is to make them feel inconvenience with distraction, not attacked. With slower movements that are more of a distraction than a threat, they get tired of reacting to uncertain traffic around them and just decide whatever has their attention isn't worth having to keep track of slow moving objects around them.
>>2071581
They look worse than they are.
>tfw Roach is resting, listening to Strauss playing softly
I've really enjoyed learning to match his antennae positions with different behavioral modes. He is such a peaceful, cheerful creature, He just 'woke up' and started cleaning himself again.
The cutest thing so far, besides pawing his antennae to his mouth to clean like a kitten, was when he was relishing some donut the other day. He was so engrossed in his meal that his antennae were straight up and straight back. All his attention was on his meal. I often see him nibble and eat, but rarely so enthusiastically.
Sorry if these chronicles are a bore. But once a day I have stopped to reflect on him (besides feeding and cleaning) and wish I could better share what a treat this humble critter has been. Maybe its cabin fever. Or maybe its just one of those things of 'stop and look'. I cant keep a proper pet, and in the city, animal and nature joys are more scarce.
Now I am sentimental, remembering the countryside where Im from and would rather be, enough to still dream of it. How I miss it. At least I have my little friend here to wait out the winter with.
Be blessed, /an/.
>>2070541
I had these little shits bite me and my friend one time when we were little. I've also been bitten a roach. Scarred me for life. I was around the age of 7 and my mom was out with friends and so my oldest sister was watching me. I asked her to tell me a bed time story and right when it started to get interesting I felt a really sharp pain on my right ring finger. It had its body in a perfect U shape on top of my finger and I've been traumatized since. It took weeks to sleep in the same room and even now I got terrible shivers thinking about it. I would've googled imaged a picture of the one that bit me but I can't even look at them anymore without getting frantic.
All insects are great. Watch some of that Life in the Undergrowth and bow to your masters.
I get fascinated watching Gregor (Roach) clean himself. I wonder what goes on in his roach head, as he relaxes and takes an interest in himself, happily running his legs and feet across his mouth, and with such attention to fine detail, completely absorbed.
I guess I like to watch because when he does it, it evokes such a sense of calm, a sense of safety, of satisfaction in his settings and disregard of usual worries. I am also intrigued with his ability to coordinate points in space with so little mental hardware.
If I get time, some day soon I'd like to draw an index of his different antennae positions and movements that seem to correlate to behavior modes.
For example, all the way down and back to his sides seem to indicate alarm. Forward and twirling is curiosity, forward and still is attentive, straight up is suspicion, flat and lateral is relaxed. He sweeps them like windshield wipers when exploring in a distinct pattern, the way you see people using metal detectors at the beach.
My favorite is still straight up and straight back; he only does it while eating his favorite foods, as if he doesnt care about sensing anything but the tasty treat he is stuffing his face in.
>>2073081
I love how enthusiastic you are about roaches, never change anon.
>>2073088
He really is a joy. I set his habitat in a dim area most of the day, and in the evening, make sure he has fresh water and food and that his habitat is aired and fairly clean.
In return, I get to see him romp and roam every evening. Sometimes I see him nibble or clean and will watch until he's finished. I appreciate how peaceful he seems now. And sometimes, I hold his jar close so that I can see his face.
Its hard not to smile; his long antennae, big dark eyes and dark upper mandible give him the appearance of a bunny with a cleft lip. And he will twiddle his antennae gently, as if they might tell him what the dumb ape gazing at him finds so interesting.
Have a good night
:)
>>2071901
bruh you need a gf or something
Roach anon I enjoyed reading your posts. You should make a thread all to yourself and Greg. Pls draw diagram of antenna sometime.
Fellow insect and arachnid lover here.
>>2067860
Just wait until you are sleeping and have one crawl on you. If you so much as brush at it it will release it's stink upon you.
Fuck stinkbugs. Fire ants and yellow jackets are also huge assholes.
>>2071941
its going to be ok
Bed bugs. Definitely bed bugs. They're the worst. Get one infestation and say goodbye to all your belongings, otherwise they'll follow you for life.
>>2068605
The infestations can get so bad you have to literally sweep them out of your house. The Chinese ones don't have a natural predator keeping them in check.
>>2071675
They sometimes see your flesh as food and bite the fuck out of you if you're too relaxed around them. Worse than a sting since they take out a chunk of flesh to carry back to the hive.
>>2073220
I dont feel I have enough to warrant a whole thread, and it would feel like an outright blog.
I just figured I'd give this bug thread an occasional bump with Roach's life.
I appreciate your kind words though, truly. Its nice to know others appreciate it.
Tonight he has been especially lazy. He's gorged a bit and has just been lounging and ambling.
Tonight he has puzzled me again, knowing his neural hardware is so little. And yet, it would seem he is learning somehow. He doesn't exhibit alarm anymore when I have to access his habitat to deliver food and drink.
Tonight he refused to budge from the top where I needed to get to in order to give food. So I took a chance and opened it, and he just watched, seemingly quite relaxed. His antennae were in the "whats going on" position; one extended straight forward and one straight back to his side.
I gave him his kibble, closed the lid and he went back to ambling in a relaxed way.
If this sort of behavior persists, then it would demonstrate that he no longer per-concieves a threat by the activity. Thats a change in association that conforms to past experience exhibited in a modified reaction. That is some sort of learning, and I wouldn't think a roach is capable of that, even at rudimentary levels.
As I've said before, he has already surprised me with his self attention, spatial coordination and reflexes. Between that and his decisions, and trying to understand roaming behavior when there is no *reason* to roam, his little roach mind is quite a compact and impressive enigma to me.
>>2075016
Also, I thought I asked earlier, but I'll ask again, maybe I asked elsewhere...
I was wondering if insects, especially roaches of course, will molt again after they already have their wings.
Its difficult to find detailed information on roaches because search inquiries always assume I am asking about pest control.
As I mentioned earlier, he is especially lazy tonight, and now I am noticing peculiar posture more often. Especially now. Its like some atypical quasi-torpor.
Times like this I worry I've made him sick somehow. But the last time it turned out to be a nice molt. So I hope he is molting again. Or at least isn't ill.
>>2070605
Thank you for the laugh, anon.
>>2074972
Jesus Christ how horrifying
The Roach Report
Roach has been silly lately. He seems more lively lately, there has been no molt after all. After I posted last time, I was certain there would be another. He kept wagging his butt in a strange way. While comical, it was also confusing.
He seems very plucky this evening. I worry he will get bored or stupid from running in circles.
I read that he may be capable of learning after all, which amazes me.
"10. Cockroaches can be conditioned, just like Pavlov's dogs.
Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov first documented the concept of classical conditioning, famously demonstrated by his salivating dogs. The dogs would hear a ticking metronome each time they were fed. Soon, the sound of the metronome alone was enough to make the dogs salivate in anticipation of a meal. Makoto Mizunami and his colleague Hidehiro Watanabe, both of Tohoku University, found cockroaches could also be conditioned this way. They introduced the scent of vanilla or peppermint just before giving the roaches a sugary treat. Eventually, the cockroaches would drool – yes, drool – when their antennae detected one of these scents in the air."
http://insects.about.com/od/roachesandmantids/a/10-Facts-About-Cockroaches.htm
I wish I could take a good pic so someone could help me narrow down what species he is.
I also tire of reading anecdotes on fact pages about people cutting their heads off to prove an established point, that they can remain animate without the head. For one, it is cruel and makes no sense if we already know it to keep doing it.
Second, it cannot 'live' without its head if it cannot eat or even find food. The things people do and cal science, seriously.
All I know is that he seems to be in good spirits, happy, fat and healthy. I am grateful for his company, and hope he fares well when I release him in about a month or so.
>>2068212
Niggers are arachnids, chigger.
Don't mind me, insect master race coming through.
>>2077115
Everyone likes mantis..es.
>>2077144
mantids
>>2077115
>>2077147
I see. Thank you.
>tfw Starship Troopers gave me nightmares for a week as a child and now hate pretty much all insects
Except for moths and ants, they're ok in my book.
I was just going to post a thread about Brown marmorated Stinkbugs, and lo, the exact photo I had is already here.
HOW THE FUCK DO I GET RID OF THESE ASSHOLES THEY'RE KILLING MY PRODUCE
>>2077409
I'm sorry. I don't want to see anyone's produce damaged. People work hard for their produce.
I found this:
http://stopstinkbugs.com/
I hope it at least points you in the right direction. I had no idea they were such a misery for people.
Perhaps if you shared details, the smarter people here might be able to help, as I know little of them.
Location, produce damaged, length of infestation etc. Anything that might help.
I hope you find relief soon. I love animals, but nature is what it is, and no one wants to see the work of someone to make valuable food be antagonized by anything.
>>2077148
>>2077148
Nature is fucking scary.
The Roach Report:
Another day, another happy roach. I read some facts about roaches and learned he would like a real shelter, so I added a swath of cardboard as a lean-to which he enjoys. Sometimes he rests beneath, other times, like now, he perches atop it, and lounges. I felt bad for taking this long to think of it. Earlier in the week I gave him a toothpick with a daub of peanut butter on it. He likes peanut butter, and seemed to enjoy puzzling over the toothpick.
He uses it like a jungle gym, and ambles over it like a tight-rope. I figure its like phys-ed, and good for him to build and coordinate his little body so he has something besides running in circles up and down flat surfaces to prepare him for release in April.
Many insist roach doesn't have any mental ability or emotions, but I see different. I found he is able to make some associations and modify behavior based on experience, or learn. I also see emotions. I understand that people like to inflate what emotions are and say some creatures have none, but I dont understand the logic. Clearly an animal can feel stress and seek to avoid it. Peace from stress and a desire to avoid dislikes seem like very clear and simple- primal even- emotions.
He always shows interest in changes in the habitat. He loves to explore, which puzzles me, since he is completely sated in every way. Im a big believer in the idea that if your animal friend cant go out into the world, bring the world to it. Something new every day to keep their minds fresh. And already Roach seems happy to have new things in his habitat. Just now I saw him do something new and unexpected. He was scratching his back against his tent, rocking back and forth. I never did find out why he was wagging his butt the other night. So perhaps the new things in his habitat allow him to alleviate itches or something, like he needs something to 'exfoliate' against...
>>2078488
... I also took note of his face today, and realized how different the topography was. For a human, our faces face what has our attention, with our smell, taste and vision all centered on one side of a sphere, yet our hearing is ninety degrees away, slightly favoring forward at the expense of less rear sensitivity.
On the other hand, Roach's face is nearly the whole sphere, save the neck. His mouth is on the bottom, and his eyes are mostly above, while his antennae swing all over. He seems to get most of his environment information from his antennae, where we get most of ours through our eyes.
I found this pic today while reading about roaches. I think this pic most closely resembles him at this stage of his life.
Looks like I was right, he is a German. I dont think the pic does him justice though. It doesn't show his range of animation. He's quite nimble and flexible. He's a veritable Nik Wallenda when he is feeling spunky.
>>2070541
i love them, they fuck up all the aphids on my plants
>>2078500
I'm very fond of them too. I'm sorry that some people have a problem with them. I remember once they would use the side of our building to warm themselves in the sunrise by the thousands. It didnt bother me, but it bothered others. Its not like they were competing for food or biters.
I once had one as a visitor over the winter. He would skulk about and come out into the open every few weeks, and I would offer him a drop of fruit punch, and he would gorge himself for days on one drop.
Then he would bumble back off to where ever he rested for the winter, and I wouldn't see him again for week. He was a nice winter companion.
As a kid, they would fascinate me; I was convinced they were walking strawberries come-to-life.
I know people would see me as bonkers for enjoying various insect visitors as much as I do. Beetles, bees, a roach or silverfish etc.
The only polite explanation I'd have to offer is that someone would have to have had my experiences with humans to grasp my fondness of having a little roach visit.
The terms 'pest' and 'parasite' are quite relative, and sometimes the *nicest* thing you can say about a body.
Didnt realize they were swarming around my property a few years ago.
I was barefoot.
The noise was godawful.
>>2078535
Oh my. It's beautiful, but I bet it is no fun competing for living space. Fascinating, but a menace.
I wonder how closely ant neural systems are like roaches'. I have been learning about the ganglion, and speculating how it could be a precursor for how our own brains work.
Ants are especially interesting. Earlier, I remarked on being impressed with Roach's ability to coordinate two points in space with such limited mental hardware.
But even Roach doesn't seem capable of what an ant can do. An ant can build.
And that impresses me, because it shows that it can coordinate multiple points in space and *other objects* in such a way to produce an outcome that has not yet occurred and requires effort, desire and some sort of 'image' of what it wants.
To what degree animals, especially insects, can integrate their abilities into even the briefest consideration of linear time, I find fascinating.
I know an ant has no concept of 1 minute from now. And yet it has something, ostensibly, that allows it to perform an action on the premise of 'immediately after now'.
The neural function of living things is so potentially complex. And yet what a wonder to see it function in such very small things. What if one day we were to discover it is simple, and discover how much more simple we are for having to try so hard to understand it. It seems pretty clear that nature can make things very small and brainy, and yet we still struggle with nanotechnology.
>>2078552
That's not an ant, it's a wasp.
i hate them :(
>>2078561
Well, it must be some sort I've never seen. If it is a wasp, it sure resembles an ant, to me. Perhaps its in some stage of development I wouldn't recognize.
Or are you referring to the pretty red insect I was quoting? I can more easily imagine that as a wasp, by the antennae, legs and body.
Now I am guessing thats what you meant. I feel dumb lel.
It sure is pretty though.
I have had few problems with wasps myself, but know they can have a painful sting.
When I was young, I got stung by yellow jackets once or twice. Painful indeed.
But as an adult, I learned that if you dont flail at them or make them panick, they dont seem so bad. The trick, I find, is simply to keep moving slowly but in a way that keeps making them watch what is moving, not what they are interested in, and it seems to annoy and frustrate them, rather than anger or scare them.
They eventually get fed up with trying to watch your arm, for example, slowly circling while at the same time trying to investigate whatever it was that got their attention, and just give up and leave.
Nowadays they dont bother me at all, I even feed them once in a while, but not enough to start a party lel.
I dont actually see wasps much. When I do, I just watch. They have such nice colors.
My favorite, by contrast, might be the bumble bees, carpenter bees. They used to visit a garden I had and would crack me up by flying up to me, looking quite unimpressed, and then moving on as if I were utterly boring them in the worst way.
It would make me chuckle.
>>2069984
>be me
>leave window open during summer because hot as fuck and no ac in the country i lived in
>eating cereal 1 fine morning
>3/4 of the way through i look down
>dead yellow jacket
>nearly puke and flush rest of the cereal down the toilet
I fucking hate these things so Goddamn much
>>2068014
>only problem in the summer.
>not a huge problem in general
See pic and video
They are literally the worst, but reasons beyond annoyance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkmjCmvfeFI
This thread reminds me how great it is to live in cold, rainy Northern England where no insects of this nature can thrive
>>2071901
I liked this story
have a cute roach picture
>>2078567
Tarantula Hawks are pretty chill despite being giant terror machines. Although they sound like fucking Hueys when they fly by.
Vinegaroons, on the other hand, are all the trouble of a stink bug whilst looking like a rad scorpion from fallout, only a little bit smaller.
>>2067863
They're invasive species and they're so easy to set off. I'll try to gently get them to crawl onto my hand so I can put it outside and it sprays. They're awful
>>2069632
How is this being ignored? How is this not every post in the thread?
DEATH TO FLEAS
I WOULD TRADE EVERY ANIMAL IN THE WORLD FOR A WORLD WITHOUT FLEAS
>>2080290
Because bedbugs are worse.
That said, it's way easier to get fleas than fucking bedbugs unless you live in a complete shithole.
>>2067979
>>2077148
Spawn of satan.
>>2067849
Fucking this. Motherfuckers come into my house each year and fly directly into my eyeballs while jacking off. Worst insect of all time.
>>2076828
He might be having babies. It's a truly horrifying sight
>>2079892
Thank you very much! I really like it, and it is a great, accurate rendering of how I "see" him in my thoughts when I watch him. Saved, of course, and thanks again.
:3
>>2080608
Well, I think its a male based on the narrow body shape, and he hasn't had exposure to any other roaches in about a month.
Not that I know much about them, but Im pretty sure its male, and though, on the supposition I am wrong, looked for an ootheca, but haven't seen any.
It will be time to check on him soon. I only withdraw his habitat from a shaded area about once a day for a few hours so as not to disturb him, and set him by the computer on my right, just above eye level so I can watch him romp, roam and fidget. I add about 8 drops of water daily, vent the habitat with a few long slow puffs of air to stir in fresh ambient air and force out the old (it does get stale) and check to see if its time to swap him into the alternate identical habitat so I can clean the old one and scrub and disinfect, and remove litter.
He may be a roach, but he can still get sick from germs like anything, so I try to keep it clean. He seems to enjoy the fresh habitat and gets perky. I also check to see if its time to replace his little cardboard shelter from wear by bits of food slopped about and making a mess, potentially becoming unsanitary.
Like I said, I know its a roach who is adapted for much worse, but a simple, clean environment is easier to monitor for problems, and he seems to like the simply change in scenery. He is meant to roam, and I imagine looking at the same thing for days could peeve him.
I think I will add a few more little 'toys', simply tiny things like toothpicks for him to explore. I worry captivity will dull his senses and physical ability for release, where he will have many predators.
Added 'toys' keep his mind working as he tries to figure out how to navigate new obstacles, like climbing over a tilted toothpick or maintaining balance across a piece of string.
Here is a tighter close up of his species.
I cant tell if this one is actually missing a bit of antennae, or if it appears that way because of the taper going out of focus on such a thin, hair-like thing in close focus.
From certain angles, I notice the same effect on Roach when I look at him. I wish I could get a pic of his face from beneath when he perched on the sides. His big dark eyes and dark upper mandible with floppy antennae make him look like a bunny with a cleft smile from beneath.
>>2067849
Back at my High School we had a *huge* stinkbug infestation. Those fuckers were everywhere. We even had an incident where one of my old history teachers got sprayed in the eyes by a stinkbug, because one got on his face when he was taking a nap.
I am pleased to say that I've just finished a nice little jungle gym for Roach that only took about 10 minutes to make with some string, four toothpicks and two little pieces of cardboard from a cracker box.
It will make his habit a bit harder to clean, but no more running around in circles. His little roach 'brains' now have navigation puzzles to solve and his balance and elasticity and strength should grow. A bit of string loops from the top, down to his shelter and through his little jungle gym, and then back up the other side to the top, and it includes little junctures where he can make decisions about where to turn and how to get there. He has already found the mote of peanut butter I left as a treat to motivate him.
Presently, he has found the coconut donut I left and is pacing up and down like he cant tell which he wants first. He sure likes coconut donut though.
So since I added the shelter for Roach, I noticed a distinct change in the position of his antennae while resting.
I had added the shelter a bit late, after reading that they are thigmotropic, or feel most comfortable when at least on side of their body is close enough to some other surface enough to physically contact.
As he has grown from this molt, which I think (but dont know) is his last, he has gotten larger than when I found him ( I would too if I lived next to a smorgasboard every day). As a result, especially since I added the shelter, he spends much more of his resting time on a horizontal plane, whereas before the shelter, and especially before his molt, he often curiously tried to sleep on a vertical plane. I assume his extra weight now plays some part in this change.
Concordantly, his antennae used to simply droop down when long-resting. Now that he has a shelter, I notice that when he 'naps', he likes to rest one antennae on or close to the nearest vertical surface and the other on or close to the nearest horizontal surface above him.
In short, I think I have observed the roach primal-equivalent of 'snuggling in'.
So now I am wondering: when its time to clean his habitat again, should I lower the 'ceiling'; would it make him more comfortable.
I suppose I can find out by making one with a more shallow 'ceiling' and putting it in, and seeing which he prefers more often.
One of the other things that I've found interesting is noticing his different postures. Like now, when resting, he drops his behind. You have to watch closely over time to notice these tiny changes.
Often, I had thought of insects as simply setting on six struts all the time. But little things like this remind one that they are living beings with a sense of comfort, and one can start to interpret kinesics about them, like you might from seeing how a cat holds its tail or a dog holds its head.
And presently, Gregor is one sleepy roach.
These things give me the creeps. They always crawl on my feet when I'm in the bathroom
>>2080964
Absolutely horrible
>>2080964
Those aren't insects, and just because you're a pussy doesn't mean they're not beneficial. I'd much rather have a billion house centipedes than most of the shit posted in this thread.
>>2077115
Reminds me that my ghost is on her final molt.
:(
>>2080964
they're nice cause they prey on silverfish and booklice and losers like that but yeah they are pretty creepy
also not insects desu
>>2081001
>eating silverfish-bros
Another reason to hate them, then.
The actual damage caused by silverfish is marginal, and is easily outweighed by their cuteness. Their primitive appearnace, along with their long life-cycles, make them all the more fascinating.
>>2081013
They are pretty cute. I like them too. Iirc, they are an exceptionally ancient species also.
>>2068517
I don't see it
>>2070515
I guess that's one thing Donkey Kong Country taught me
>>2080290
heh.. I once took in a stray for a few days and got a case of fleas.
I didnt know anything about them except they like blood, so I used myself as bait.
I shaved my legs and since it was winter, let it get good and cold in the apartment.
I would have a small cup of ammonia. Then about every hour or so, I would walk across the carpet of the problem room and allow them to jump on me.
Then I'd simply pluck them off and drop them in the cup. After a week of this, no more fleas. I used my body heat and thermal gradient from the cold room as a lure and let them do the rest.
I also once used a saucer of Bacardi 151 to get rid of some pesky fruit flies, who would nose dive into the sweet ethanol fumes and drown themselves.
A certain smelly, synthetic illegal powder also works the same on fruit flies, and both would make a good "Just Say No" commercial.
GODDAMNIT
Insects are the fucking worst.
Most disgusting creatures ever to exist on earth.
If you could wipe out all insects in a single blow, which ones would you save?
for me
>Mantids
>Spiders (the tiny ones only. they're pretty chill and would only hurt flies anyway)
>Ladybugs
>Butterflies? (absolutely NOT moths. fuck moths. fuck)
>Bees (pain in the ass, but we need em for honey and pollen and shiet)
>Ants (they clean shit up. nuke all the ones that go indoors though)
I think that's it
All the rest can get rekt
>>2081165
Gosh, you must really dislike the many flavors of living things. We often need the lesser things to have the better things. What would your spiders and mantids live off of?
This Japanese Beetle is a pest to many, but are a tasty snack for many of our nice bird friends, and other animals like to munch on the grubs.
>>2081175
Yeah, I know. It's unfortunate.
I don't mind beetles that don't fly around too much though. I think only insects whose wings are inaudible to the human ear deserve to fly.
>>2081165
pretty sure no one would mine extinction of invasive insects like fire ants or africanized honey bees
but fuck brazillian wandering spiders those fuckers make me check the bananas from across the grocery store
>>2070605
kek
>>2067860
agreed.. They are actually pretty smart.. for a bug. and it's a lot harder to make them stink than many people think.
>>2081287
>smart
>will walk on pretty much anything you put in front of them
>>2077295
THE ONLY GOOD BUG IS A DEAD BUG
>>2081041
You can see the adults in there. They're hard to see because they blend in. There's at least 5 in this photo.
I dressed like a snackbar while cleaning this shit out. There were so many moths.
>>2081571
make a collage of all the posts plox
>>2067849
My sister found one of these once and thought it was a cockroach. I was gonna kill it but she felt bad, so I put it outside but it got wrecked by the cold and slowly died over the next fifteen minutes or so
What I hate the most are these fucking carpet beetles. They come out every spring and they're everywhere
>>2081571
Well, I guess I can see why its comical and Im glad if gives you a laff.
Some people love animals and have challenges that make it difficult to have something to care for and dote on.
And I am very grateful to have a little roach to pamper till spring.
He's been a little languid recently and it has me a bit concerned, but he usually snaps out of it. I only learned yesterday that this species only lives for 6-9 months.
I really want him to make it for at least another month so he can have his freedom before his time comes. He may just be a roach, but he's still a living thing that only gets one shot.
>>2081731
>They're hard to see because they blend in
no, they're hard to see because you took a shit picture.
>>2071093
Don't be rude. I enjoy reading his cockroach diary.
>>2067849
Invasive agricultural pests
They can fuck off
These fuckin things!! Aaaagggh
>>2068245
>buy asian wasp
>mosquitoes are gone
>but now you have a wasp infestation
>buy a predatory animal that eats the wasp
>have an infestation of that animal
>repeat ad infinatum
>>2080964
I pulled up my feet from the ground, I'm crouching on my chair now.
>>2067849
Uh...yeah. Guess you've never dealt with any of these guys.
>ignore the mouse, mouse isn't an insect
>>2073153
Fuck off m8.
His story was beautiful.
>>2076828
Wiggling his butt?
Hmm...I've lived in a house with German cockroaches. I observed them and it seems that the ones with a thinner abdomen seemed to do this. Also noticed the wider set ones seemed to follow behind when the thinner ones did this "dance". They'd wiggle, move forward, wiggle again.
I'm almost certain that the thinner ones are female and are laying out a scent trail for mating. I think the american cock roaches may do the same thing. You're roachy friend just got their wings. Maybe it's an adult now and maybe it's actually a female.
>>2082033
Welp...never mind. Maybe the males lure females around. I do know it has to do with scent. Also, Roach anon. Place a heating pad at the lowest setting under one part of the cage. These guys love heat and I assume electricity, or the heat produced by electricity. They also love liquid coffee and caffeine.
>>2082037
This diagram I found may be wrong. Look at this picture and read the article. I might have been right that the thinner ones were female.
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6947269/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/sexy-perfume-lures-cockroaches-their-doom/
>>2082038
I hope I helped Roach anon. Doing this has brought up a little trauma from the past for me. You may like your roachy friend but seeing these pictures bring up anxiety for me. I'm so glad I don't have to deal with them anymore. Seeing these pictures actually make me remember their God awful smell. Good luck though. Where ever you found this be careful that there might be more. Peace.
>>2082030
>>2081869
Thanks friends, I really appreciate it. I know its not much to share here, but it's what I have. Be blessed, all.
>>2082033
>>2082037
>>2082038
>>2082040
Thank you very much, it will be interesting for me to learn.
I too wonder if it had some social/reproductive aspect. I mentioned in another thread that for a week after his molt, he kept using his hind leg to scratch his behind, and worried that he was 'frustrated'. I wish I had a friend for him, except I obviously couldn't handle the potential consequences.
He's been more sedentary since Friday. It has me a little concerned. I thought maybe I overfed him. Sometimes he would gorge and then seem a bit more torpid than usual. I'd just like him to make it at least till April when its warm enough to release him elsewhere. I dont want his current habitat to be his last stop. I also worry about any domestic chemicals harming him. I've never completely trusted plastic containers as insect habitats. They can be sensitive to things we dont notices.
Also, thanks for the heating advice. I'd say the ambient temperature is about 75 F. Warmer temps do seem to animate him more. I try not to disturb him too much, but I do make sure there is always water, most of which evaporates of course. I dont want to be that guy that pesters him just to see him move if he doesn't feel like it.
Its a dilemma: on one hand I worry if he is too sedentary; on the other, if he is constantly roaming I worry there is something making him restless. As a human, I guess its difficult to interpret his sleep/activity cycles. Its obviously more than just time of day, satiety and environmental balance.
He's awake presently. Animate too.
I will have to confirm the caffeine part. any drug naturally makes me a bit nervous. I was going to give him some dark chocolate, but remembered that most animals dont seem to react well to chocolate.I'd happily share some coffee with him if I can be sure its safe.
>>2082040
Thank you for all your kind help. Im sorry it brought up bad memories for you. It has happened to me too.
Once, I had to help an elderly disabled man clean his unit. The poor guy was living in squalor and had developed a huge roach problem. Sadly, I was not much of a friend to roaches that day, but it had to be done in the natural competition for living space.
I didnt notice a smell, although I have noticed it with American roaches, and I believe his may have been German also, they were small like Gregor.
Anyways, it was a long and miserable job, and I could tell the poor man was embarrassed by it. And I never like having to deal with a huge number of problem animals the way huge numbers have to be addressed. I still think of it when I look at Gregor sometimes, and feel bad, even though I know Roach can neither understand nor would probably care much if he could. Another great example of the quote "Animals make us human."
Anyways, the cleaning experience gave me weird after-effects. For a week, every time I even thought I saw a small shadow move in the corner of my vision, it would startle me a bit, wondering if it was another roach.
Likewise, if Gregor Roach had been one of many, I can't guarantee it would've turned out so well. In fact Im fairly certain it wouldn't.
But as it happens, it was just him. I saw him poking along a shirt hanging, and caught him. My instinct was to do what I normally do, which is release any insect visitors outdoors the next day.
But it was early February. There was no need to put him down all by his lonesome, and no sense in setting him loose neither in the house or freezing outdoors. So he just sort of became a guest, someone to care for and appreciate. I have a pretty small life too, so stopping to notice small creatures sort of comes naturally to me.
So assuming he makes it till April, I guess things just worked out for this little guy.
Have a good day, /an/, and thanks for all the kindness.
<3
>>2082182
Let's hope that your Gregor is really alone.
Personally, I found a dermestid larva in my pantry a few months ago. After thoroughy going through the pantry, I found one of its siblings stuck in a jar, lying on its back.
Since it was mid-winter, I clearly couldn't put them outside, and of course I had no plans to let them stay in the pantry. Instead, I put them in a small plastic lunchbox with some some dried meat, some dog pellets and a damp piece of paper.
They soon burrowed into the the meat and pellets, and a few weeks later they emerged as adult insects. I had hoped that they were at least the same sex, so I didn't have to worry about them having offspring. Still, they turned out to be of opposite sexes, and by now, the box contains multiple tiny larvae, plus the two adults. It's nice too see them so independent(literally the only thing I have to do is flip them around when they fall on their backs), but their quantity is beginning to scare me. I hope I can put them outside soon.
>>2082182
>>2082038
PS that was an interesting article.
Its a bit ironic for me too, because Im a bit germ-phobic. I am constantly slathering everything in Lysol and often use napkins to open suspect door handles or kvetch to cashiers if their credit keypads are filthy. I even disinfect cash, especially small bills, and often wash my hands just from handling it.
So ironically, little Roach doesnt bother me much. I keep his habitat clean, air, water and food fresh. Learning about roaches has presented some difficulty because search engines naturally assume I am approaching the topic from the perspective of a pest problem, so most information is either directed at getting rid of them or overly rudimentary (I had the same problem when trying to research silverfish).
Anyhow, it sort of makes me chuckle when I read pest control articles about how 'dirty and germy' roaches are, and then look over and see Gregor obsessively cleaning himself while I think of all the germy dirty door handles and cash humans muck up millions of times per day.
Just this morning I had to politely suffer a deli worker coughing into her arm right after I asked her to make a breakfast croissant.
I come home and little Roach is making sure every bit of his limbs are up to his standards.
You tell me which is worse company for breakfast lel
One of the interesting things I've noticed is that when I have Roach out, he is by the computer screen. He seems to notice when I am scrolling, the changing light from the screen. Its funny because it makes him twiddle his antennae in a curious but relaxed way, as if he is watching the colored lights whoosh by. I imagine it must be like a view to downtown Tokyo to him lel.
Reactions aside, I think this is just an American roach; it doesnt really resemble Gregors slimmer, paler features.
>>2082185
lel thank you
<3
>>2082183
Thats extraordinarily decent of you. I found one of those once too. I think they are cute, but didnt know they could reach pest numbers.
We are in the same boat, essentially, waiting for kinder weather, but you have the greater responsibility of numbers. And we both have to accept our little friends may fare worse in a world of predators than in captivity.
Thank you for taking care of them, and it sounds like you do it well. I dont imagine the number will be too much of an issue in time and maintenance as you do have one advantage over me- you can out maneuver your wards better than me, despite you being outnumbered.
I couldn't handle an equal number of roaches in the same habitat because he can out "run" me in a heartbeat. I have to rely on his good temper not to bolt for freedom every time I access his habitat.
If he ever decides he's had it when the top opens, he'll make me look a fool as I watch him run for border sunset, or however roach bandit stories end lel
I hope it goes well for you and your friends, and thank you again for being on the deliberate side of life. It sounds like you and they will do just great.
Have a great day, /an/!
>>2080964
I learned to like them when I learned they are essentially harmless and act as a pest patrol.
They can scare the hell out of me when they pop up, especially if they reach Jurassic Park size. But then I remember they are a friend and let them pass.
I prefer them to spiders in that sense, because a spider will set up shop based on where it thinks there will be food (so to speak) and hang around even if there isn't much. I also dont like spider eggs if they get comfy because it puts me in the uncomfortable position of having to end the lives of a lot of baby animals if they hatch in the house. Otherwise, they hang around forever and bumble absolutely everywhere you dont want spiders.
A centipede, by contrast, will keep moving to where the food is. If your home is pest free, a centipede will just move on till it finds better hunting grounds.
>>2067849
fuck these little shits
Well, Roach seems back to normal. Yesterday he had me worried, just sitting in places for hours and hours. Moreover, he is a little too comfortable with light than seems healthy. I dont know if this is something I accidentally conditioned him to, or if its some handicap that explains how I saw and caught him to begin with. He isn't blind, but his comfort with light seems unnatural for a roach.
Yesterday, I noticed once he kept flexing his abdomen like it was a spasm. I realized there is probably little written for the laity on roach illnesses, or written at all. And if I I had a roach medical lab and could accurately diagnose it, there still would likely be nothing I could do.
I've tried to keep his diet well varied. I figured the problem may be one of the following:
"Mechanical"- Simply too much food, or some obstruction or physical damage
"Biological"- Some sort of pathogen, a lack of gut flora or other internal parasite etc
"Chemical"- exposure to some sort of toxin"
"Nutritional" The absence or imbalance of some nutrient
Then there is the possiblity that I simply dont know what I am looking at and completely misinterpreting his peculiar behaviors. He is much more animate today though, and acting more like a normal roach. I skipped cleaning his habitat for the last days until I saw his normal behavior return to avoid stressing him, so I may clean it tomorrow.
(an attempt to photograph Roach through a magnifying glass)
>>2082200
Will they eat spiders?
>>2083242
Yes, when able to, as they will eat pretty much any small arthropod. Success depends on the nature of their prey, of course. Depending on the size difference, the centipede may end up being the spiders meal.
The centipedes normally have the sense to avoid bad match-ups and can be attacked themselves by spiders.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q03nkazHAY
You can find videos on Youtube of it turning out either way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFHWc5cTB8U
It's a brutal world, even among little things.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=henrnp0m4eE
>>2083267
Watching this makes me realize what primal emotions must be in play for a predator to attack. The rage & misery from hunger and being forced to take risk of injury or death upon yourself just to end it.
I think some higher animals make an association between hunting & alleviating hunger. But I also think that if you dig down into just what hunger is & how it affects the emotional temperament of a creature, it just eventually ends up creating a rage compelling it to engage creatures around it.
Knowing which are 'food' may actually be simply how they perceive the outcome. Or how they recall the last one, since there are few experiences as valuable to qualify for being remembered as finding relief from hunger & avoiding danger.
In animal behavior, I often find it important to put cause before effect in understanding how they (and we) do what they do. Before assuming they magically know what effect something they are about to do will have, its important to grasp what they *could* actually "know".
An animal, for example, knows nothing of calorie intake, nutrition or starvation over linear time. It does understand the misery of hunger though, and the pressing, unyielding pressure to act, to do anything to alleviate misery, and how that colors the way it interacts with the other creatures around it
Once the creature is fed, it normally has no desire to attack others around it.
Makes me think of those odd but not terribly uncommon stories of female lions adopting baby antelope when they lose one of their own young, while mothers in other species sometimes eat their own.
As fat happy humans, I dont think we often relate well to other animals, what drives them and just how brutal the compulsion of hunger is upon the minds of other animals, and how it affects their disposition, both as individual creatures and as species generally.
That carnivores can be tamed as pets for company says a little more about the peculiar nature of life, when you think about it.
>>2083282
not terribly likely since hunger can be alleviated by eating grass or dirt or just drinking a lot of water.
It's also pretty easy to ignore and it goes away after a while if you don't eat.
you speak of "fat happy humans" (should there be a comma in there somewhere?), I can only assume your lack of experience with hunger means you are one. Que no?
>>2083292
Yes, but eating grass or dirt when neither is in ones diet is a stress behavior. Nor do a lot of animals have access to free standing potable water all the time.
One can ignore initial pain when the term pain can actually be applied, it doesnt mean they dont feel it nor that they really have a choice. "Ignore" is a strange term to apply to animals; it suggests an abstract decision, Specifically used the term misery in reference to the decline in mental acuity and emotional restlessness.
Lets be clear: there are physiological feedback mechanisms and physical palpable consequences for a lack of food. If there weren't, you wouldn't know you were hungry; thats what hunger is. And you'd have no compulsion to obtain food and starve.
Just as relevant is not just the physical experience of hunger- the biological imbalances it causes in the flow of nutrients and hormonal reaction- is the change in behavior when food is present.
I find it unlikely that many animals have elaborate associations with 'delicious' and 'scrumptious'. Often, they dont have that luxury in the wild. The decision to attack something precedes the decision to explore it with their mouth, eating it. Eating is a complex dynamic, perhaps among the most primal, conducted with nearly an infinite number of types of mouths, mandibles, proboscis.
The idea, the intention to bring an object towards ones sensory orifices is extremely primal and simple. Exceptions might be passive feeders, like sponges, mussels etc
Predation is interesting because it combines aggressive contact using a part of the body that may also be used in general defense as well as eating. Often this is the teeth. Animals with teeth often have things in common, like striking with the head (biting) as an expression of rage or even just annoyance. Even herbivores do this (or children)...
>>2083387
... My only notable experience with hunger was around six days without food.
I was making reference to the West in general, "fat and happy" to mean content and placated from the things that drive wild animals. I thought it was obvious in context, not that I was referring to over-weight and giddy people as some obscure analogy.
Had I noticed the complaint about commas earlier (the answer is no, I intended no comma) I'd have more quickly associated with the suggestion that I'm overweight and realized the comment for what it was, instead wasting three paragraphs expounding on how grazing differs from predation, or that there are reasons animals feel hunger and change behavior to obtain nutrition without a clue what nutrition is, not because "lol antelopes, sure Ytf not?"
>>2083078
You've probably read this already but I just wanted to share again.
"Cockroaches have personalities, study finds"
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-belgium-cockroach-personalities-track-idUSKBN0M614H20150310
Also, thanks for sharing your Roach journal. I'm fascinated by orbweaver spiders and moths, and lately also roaches. I've realized this after one mistook me for an object and just calmly walked on my lap for a while (I used to be disgusted/scared of them when I was a teen). Now I see them as curious, complex animals, not just mindless bugs like most species.
>unrelated, I once touched a moth's face with a piece of juicy fruit by mistake and it instantly rubbed it's cheek with a "paw" to clean, just like a cat. I had a huge aww moment over it.
>>2070541
I remember my first year in Iowa near the corn fields. These are the worst. Pretty sure they bite too.
>>2068960
This
Anyone who had to deal with those assholes knows how fucking bad they are.
>>2068605
you know they kill plants, right?
>>2081287
>smart
they're dumb as fuck even in the insect world
>have these faggots in my house
>they fly into the walls all the time hard enough to kill themselves or to lose multiple limbs
every other flying insect is capable of pulling off a verticle landing, not these retards though
>>2068230
>insects are animals
Are you ok? Do you need help?
>>2083512
>>2083513
>thinks insects are animals
>gets called out
>responds with an unrelated image
Here, let me try that too.
>>2083515
>>2083516
>animalia
Well there's you're problem, we're talking about A.N.I.M.A.L.S.
>>2083517
>>2080973
they eat spiders though, I love spiders and these faggots keep killing them
>>2083498
I actually dont recall reading it if I have, so it will make good reading for me. Thank you very much!
I like spiders and moths too.Jumping spiders especially interest me because of the fact that they are predators, and seem to have immensely advanced neural processes compared to grazers and scavenger arthropods.
There seems to be something about animals that hunt that favor advanced mental coordination. When you scale it down so much, you see how incredibly compact life can engineer the connection between perception, processing and mechanical execution over linear time to achieve an end. To me, that all that can happen in so small a space is amazing.
We get to see the rudiments of the personalities we associate with animals. Im a big believer in form following function in nature, and how the mind follows the body, following the mind etc, and how evolution keeps a pace from one to the other.
Its a poor analogy, but the process reminds me of Intel's "tick-tock" process for advancing shrinking designs for CPUs.
Thank you for the article and kind words. I hope we get to see more of your experiences.
Have a great day and be blessed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsGvT2DYJMc
>about to get into bed
>see a weird brown speckled thing in the covers
>what is this, a dead lea-
>it's a fucking stinkbug
>>2070541
They're pretty and stumbling on to a hatching area is amazing, but those fuckers bite like hell.
>>2083498
Have read now, and it was absolutely fascinating, thank you.
Its also encouraging to see that others are as engrossed as I am by how think bugs- especially roaches.
Today is St Patrick's Day, so I've treated Gregor Roach to some bangers and mash.
I also learned today that roaches constantly clean their antennae because even a little dirt significantly impairs its ability to help them with basic functions. It keeps it sensitive. Perhaps its a bit like a dog licking its nose.
Presently, he is watching the monitor. I guess its quite a light show. I worry about a little roach so fond of light.
Again, this >>2083498 was a very interesting article; thank you.
>>2083623
Really? I've handled them many times for ages and never been bit. I didnt even think their mouth parts were capable.
Come to think of it, the only two arthropods that ever bit me was a spider once, and once an ant. In the ant's case, he was very big when I was very small.
I dont recall ever being bitten by any beetle, especially a lady bug. I've had only pleasant experiences with them, even sharing juice with them. I thought all they did was pester aphids by licking them. But then I dont know much about them, just that they have always been friendly cheerful critters, and appealing to look at.
Ticks are pretty irritating...but they're not technically insects
>>2068605
I don't know where your from but they're invasive in most places. YouD be doing nature a small favor
>>2068785
Really brown? The species that lives around Pittsburgh (one species anyway) leaves this neon blue goo. It's almost surreal.
>>2068960
They really are one of the worst. Nothing more creepy than having to sleep in a bed you know they're residing on.
But the nod for absolute worst still has to go to mosquitoes. I don't think bed bugs carry as many deadly diseasess.
Close call though for sure.
>>2070585
The say the same thing about stinkbugs. I really don't see how that works. Animals don't really seek revenge and honestly you'd think the smell of a dead one would tell the others to stay away
>>2081786
These things are shit. Had a bad case of them years ago before I went off to college and hadn't seen a trace of them since until last week when an adult was on my pillow.
>>2067849
so has anyone found a way to get rid of these faggots? my was full of them in the winter. i think they got into the duct work or something when it got cold, then they would pop out of the vents or something. tried spraying the vents with raid, seemed to help for a little bit but i doubt it really did anything
>sabies
man fuck these guys
>>2068517
> I have to deal with a worthless roommate and scores of parasites
Get your life together and get a different place jesus fuck
>>2069984
As a kid, I was eating a skittle, and one came up and stung me right above my lip out of spite. They are little shits.
>all these pussies
Never change /an/.
I've just delt with a lengthy ant incursion the day before.
I had just gone up stairs to grab something to eat. Yet when I reached the kitchen, I found an ant columm which nearly circumnavigated the /entire room's/ perimeter.
The only saving grace is I stopped them before they could actually get into any food stuffs (for some reason they were just swarming/congregating behind a tissue box next to the door).
Amd so, I set out the long, laborious task of utterly erradicating the cunting column. I started with half a can of mortien for crawlers. I had to resort to spraying them with Windex there were so many. And for some reason, maggots were included in the column.
Anyway, by the end of it all, I was soaked in sweat with shakey hands (no,I'm not exaggerating) from so much killing. I felt like I just wen't through fuckin' 'Nam, and was just experiencing the calm of the storm.
So, with all due respect to colonies that keep our world healthy... FUCK. BLACK. ANTS.
#warishell
>>2085276
>Spraying your air vents with toxic chemicals
WEW LAD
>>2083517
Professional master baiter right here
