Sunday, May 27, 2007

Update: Bad Bugs.

I identified the bug. It's the leafrooted bug or Leptoglossus phyllopus. It turns out they're up to no good. Strange that they haven't started eating anything, but maybe they don't need to eat right away. I probably don't have much time now, though, since they've been there a while and they're obviously growing up and I imagine will need to eat something soon.

If it weren't pouring down rain, I'd run out there right now and get rid of them. But how? I hate to just kill them, but if I move them, how far do I have to move them to keep them from coming back? And how do I get them off the plants without touching them (because I will not touch the bugs)?

I'll ask J. when he gets home what he would do. He's more consistent than I about not killing things as a matter of principle. He won't even kill mosquitoes, whereas I'll kill one and feel good about it, thinking, "I just saved myself about 8 big itchy red welts!" Lately, the mosquitoes are light, maybe one or two will bother me when I'm sitting on the porch. I'll get a few bites on my ankles. However, when it gets warmer, there will be swarms of them biting every unprotected bit of skin, even my scalp. When it gets like that, killing one or two doesn't have the same emotional payoff because it doesn't have a noticeable effect on the number of bites I get.

Those fucking bugs better not eat my tomato!

1 comment:

Lisa Meltzer said...

You should be so lucky that they'd just eat your tomato. The giant bugs want to eat your head. You must stop them before they do so.

I wonder. . . I've sprayed aphids with soapy water many a time. Am I actually killing them with soapiness?

I'm not sure that I care. The little bastards tend to gather on my Cosmos and Gladiolus, and quite frankly it pisses me off.