31–40 of 44 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
There were a few webs in the corners, but she didn't view it as a sign of dirty old carelessness like I was taught to through cartoons as a kid
I guess she still cleans them from time to time. I do, and they just make new webs. Only very old webs are ... dirty.
So all the money spent on mosquite coil, net , aerosol, skin cream ( while harming your own body ) was worth for nothing ? Nature had a better solution all along. If we lived in forests mosquitoes won't be a problem, well at least all those activities increased GDP.
No, not really. That these eat mosquitoes makes it clear that they don't wipe out mosquitoes, or they'd have died out for lack of food.
They may keep populations down to some extent, but any predator that wipes out its prey winds up dead quickly.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I guess she still cleans them from time to time. I do, and they just make new webs. Only very old webs are ... dirty.
Yeah I thought spider webs only lasted a few days before they had to be torn down and rebuilt (because dusty webs aren’t effective nets)?
I generally avoid killing/ removing spiders (they also prey on moths, keeping clothes etc hole-free), wasps too to an extent (but they are still largely a pest).
The Bedbugs were quite easily eradicated with insecticide around and under the bed, but that's last a resort as it is toxic to virtually everything (including pets and humans), something I don't doubt as the smell is more irritating than Ammonia. I'd much rather use natural remedies (especially when you don't have to do anything), than strong chemicals that we don't truly understand the effects on the environment or the food chain.
Spiders are also useful. My exgf lived in a farm and had dozens of harmless spiders in the ceiling of her bedroom that ate all mosquitoes. It nuanced my view on spiders.
How do you determine if they're harmless? I had a spider bite a couple of weeks ago that gave me a welt the size of a dime (and super itchy).
I'm pretty good at identifying the dangerous spiders now (i.e. distinguishing brown recluse from wolf), but it took several instances of trapping the spider under a glass and then breaking out my cell phone and looking at lots of pictures.
If your area has lots of kinds of dangerous spiders then it might be more of a pain, though.
I recently found out that Bedbugs are still a thing (I thought they were largely eradicated). I also found out that I'm allergic to them, and While a mosquito will bite once of twice (until it finds blood), these guys leave a line of bites as they move around sampling your blood (my back, neck, and shoulders were covered in welts). I generally avoid killing/ removing spiders (they also prey on moths, keeping clothes…
Diatomaceous Earth is a dusty substance made from the shells of tiny sea creatures. The shells are so tiny (and then ground finer) they wedge into the exoskeletons of insects and eventually kill the bbugs. But it's pretty safe for larger animals and safe for home use
So all the money spent on mosquite coil, net , aerosol, skin cream ( while harming your own body ) was worth for nothing ? Nature had a better solution all along. If we lived in forests mosquitoes won't be a problem, well at least all those activities increased GDP.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
How do you determine if they're harmless? I had a spider bite a couple of weeks ago that gave me a welt the size of a dime (and super itchy).
Depends where you live but you can look up what spiders are in your area and which ones are dangerous. For example, in most of the US you only really have to worry about black widows (which are pretty distinct) and brown recluses which have a characteristic violin on them but IME often somewhat resemble the harmless wolf spider, which is common in my area. I'm pretty good at identifying the dangerous spiders now (i.e…
I think what the parent comment was worried about was painful bites more-so than death (though that's also worrying).
I recently found out that Bedbugs are still a thing (I thought they were largely eradicated). I also found out that I'm allergic to them, and While a mosquito will bite once of twice (until it finds blood), these guys leave a line of bites as they move around sampling your blood (my back, neck, and shoulders were covered in welts). I generally avoid killing/ removing spiders (they also prey on moths, keeping clothes…
http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/degen.html Diatomaceous Earth is a dusty substance made from the shells of tiny sea creatures. The shells are so tiny (and then ground finer) they wedge into the exoskeletons of insects and eventually kill the bbugs. But it's pretty safe for larger animals and safe for home use