@irocktheworld Oh, you don’t want to know what happened to me one night. I woke up in the middle of the night with this strange noise in my ear. It was kind of like having water in your ear after swimming, but it wouldn’t stop. I finally got up and found a Q-tip, which I used to dig around in my ear. When I took the Q-tip out of my ear, there was a squashed ant stuck to it. I was too sleepy to be really disturbed, but the next day I made my husband move all of the bedroom furniture so I could vacuum extra-thoroughly.
As for bugs in general, they don’t bother me at all and never have. I actually find them really interesting. Spiders do creep me out, but unless I’m surprised by one, I can handle it. And only if they don’t crawl on me, which just the idea of makes me feel sick to my stomach.
My son, who will be six soon, is an avid insect collector. His obsession started when he wasn’t even three. His past Halloween costumes include an earwig, an Eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly, and a devil mantis. He spends hours every day (other than winter) out looking for bugs. Since he’s so young, I’ve become his assistant. This year he started an official collection, pinning insects of different species into a collection box. I help him out a lot, since it is delicate and difficult work. My job is to catch things he can’t reach, pin the smaller bugs, and spread the butterflies so they dry properly. It’s amazing what he finds, and even more amazing what he knows.
My son has been stung by bees and wasps many times. He once had a rove beetle bite him hard enough to draw blood. A praying mantis bit him once, and he’s so used to mosquito bites that he hardly notices them anymore. I’ve removed two ticks from his body just this summer. Nothing phases him. Right now we are raising monarch caterpillars and tobacco hornworm caterpillars. We also have a praying mantis—all of them living on my kitchen counter. In my freezer, I have three different butterflies, several dragonflies, various beetles, and one spider, all waiting to be added to the collection that my son proudly displays in his bedroom. I know it grosses some people out, but most people find my son’s collection interesting. Even my husband, who does not share our enthusiasm for six-legged creatures, will collect and bring home interesting insects he finds while working.
My point to all of this is, sometimes the more you start to learn about something, the more interesting and the less scary it becomes. I spend so much time reading insect books to my son, who doesn’t like any other kind of book, that I’ve come to really appreciate how incredibly well-adapted insects are for the things they do.
@evelyns_pet_zebra lurve for describing the difference between poisonous and venomous!