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 I killed hundreds of ants
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| Author | Topic: I killed hundreds of ants |
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Nitrozac Moderator 
Posts: 452 |
posted April 11, 2002 12:03
   
As it turns out, GC's new headquarters is built atop huge stumps which, undoubtedly house a gigantic network of carpenter ants. We've been invaded by winged females and drones. So, we have to kill these things, there were a lot of them buzzing around, and getting into our stuff. My method of termination is to pick them up with a piece of kleenex, squish, and then toss the remains into the woodstove. Once, a winged female managed to escape, and she was crawling around all bent and twisted with her wing decapacitated. I felt awful! Also, Snaggy and I had a debate as to whether or not insects feel pain, and Snaggy found info on the web to support his theory that they do feel pain. I feel horrible about killing these things, because they are interesting little creatures, and they're easy to observe. They're just doing a job. Plus the cracking squish sound they make when I kill them makes me sick. There, I said it, now you know. IP: Logged |
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Snaggy Moderator
Posts: 1479 |
posted April 11, 2002 12:09
Ya, it's bad. I hate having to be put into a position where I have to kill things. This is what we are dealing with... IP: Logged |
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DUCT TAPE Super Geek  
Posts: 102 |
posted April 11, 2002 12:10
i thought i was the only one who felt bad about killing bugs; i even feel bad about killing bugs that are biteing me. IP: Logged |
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DUCT TAPE Super Geek
Posts: 102 |
posted April 11, 2002 12:12
i thought i was the only one who felt bad about killing bugs; i even feel bad about killing bugs that are biteing me. IP: Logged |
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Avatar Geek Apprentice 
Posts: 45 |
posted April 11, 2002 12:16
Luckily, I don't feel bad about killing bugs. Try mixing 1/4 cup sugar, 3/4 cup water, 1 teaspoon boric acid (borax). Put the mixture in a shallow dish and let them eat it. It's supposed to be time delayed death so they have a chance to spread the poison around their nest, and hopefully to the queen. Do something quick, the winged ones are going to become queens, so each of those will make a new nest somewhere, if not in the GC compound, somewhere nearby. IP: Logged |
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EngrBohn Highlie 
Posts: 746 |
posted April 11, 2002 13:05
I'm the official slayer-of-bugs in our house, but sometimes my wife doesn't have to call me to do the slaying. There was one that I didn't think twice about killing, but I did think twice about whether my instrument-of-death would kill it or just piss it off. I was moving some classnotes for archival in my basement, and I just happened to be carrying down a 4" binder when I saw a spider (yes, a 4" thick binder -- that prof *loved* to hand-out articles). Nary a pause, I dropped the binder from chest-high. My wife came running at the sound. "What was *that*!?" I picked up the binder, and her response was "Aww... poor kitty!" The thorax (unsquished) was over an inch across, and the legs made it easily 3-4" across. ------------------ IP: Logged |
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platypus Super Geek
Posts: 226 |
posted April 11, 2002 13:13
got one of those at work. Back when I was the lone geek in an HR office For that matter, I was the lone male. Now, it sounds stereotypical, but yes, I was the one called on to do it, and everyone else stood up on chairs (you know, because spiders can't climb walls or anything) and had to kill it. It apparently liked the warmth behind my computer. ------------------ IP: Logged |
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Avatar Geek Apprentice
Posts: 45 |
posted April 11, 2002 13:52
Mys sister goes nuts when she sees a bug. Eventually, we got her one of these: It's a bug vac. You suck up the bug, it electrocutes it. I haven't gotten to use it yet, but it sure will cut down on screams of "BUG!!!!! EWWWWWWWW!!!!! IT'S GIGANTIC!!!!!" IP: Logged |
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ZorroTheFox SuperBlabberMouth!     
Posts: 1252 |
posted April 11, 2002 19:33
for Me it depends on the bug. I will leave most of them well enough alone, unless the really bug Me. Spiders, however, are dead meat. If they dare to come inside, I will destroy them at all cost. My roomie hates ants so they must die too. We have a deal, he kills the spiders, I kill the ants. Fortunately most of the time we just have to show the offending bug to the cat. Homey loves to eat bugs...........Z IP: Logged |
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Evilbunny Highlie
Posts: 681 |
posted April 11, 2002 21:33
I love bugs! IP: Logged |
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Erbo Super Geek
Posts: 133 |
posted April 11, 2002 23:07
quote: We've found that Star and Maui, our two feline companions, are expert spider hunters. We always praise them for killing spiders, because my wife doesn't like spiders (they're related to ticks, and she got Lyme disease a few years back via a tick bite in New England). IP: Logged |
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annie Alpha Geek Posts: 264 |
posted April 11, 2002 23:35
i didn't used to feel bad about killing bugs, but lately for some unexplainable reason i've started to. Especially when i hear the "crack squish" sound, so Nitrozac I can relate. There was a huge bug in the kitchen of the house i was living in four months ago, and it took me nearly 15 minutes to work up the courage to kill it, mostly because I knew I'd feel horrible after hearing that sound. The bug was stuck on its back and couldn't get back up, and I couldn't think of a way of scooping it up and getting it outside without it escaping (and considering the fact that I had suspicions that it was a giant cockroach I didn't want that to happen!). I sat there and watched it trying to come up with a plan for what to do, until finally it turned over and I had to do something, so I ended up squishing it with my slipper. Not a pleasant experience. It's easier with the smaller softer bugs where you can't feel their shell cracking. IP: Logged |
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Pish-Tush Maximum Newbie 
Posts: 17 |
posted April 12, 2002 03:53
The really bad one was many years back when I was living in California, and had a roach problem. I put down a "roach motel" under the fridge (they used to come in under the back door which was just by the fridge). Sadly it caught a lizard that had come in after them -- I still feel bad about that one. After that I just developed a flick shot with the floor mop -- open the door and flick the roach out so it splats on the fence across the path. ------------------ IP: Logged |
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greycat Super Geek
Posts: 225 |
posted April 12, 2002 06:17
I'm reminded of a certain Babylon 5 episode, in which Londo is trying to get the B5 exterminators to come to his quarters to get rid of a bug. They're either too busy or they aren't taking him seriously (I forget which), so he pulls out a fairly large dagger and goes hunting for it himself.... IP: Logged |
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quantumfluff Highlie
Posts: 704 |
posted April 12, 2002 12:08
Exterminate the brutes - Kurtz IP: Logged |
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ActionFigure 1.0 Geek
Posts: 94 |
posted April 12, 2002 12:18
There's a woman on the internet who sells video of her self crushing bugs (among other things). And get this--she look slike Nitrozac kindo of... www.chloecreations.com Not an endorsement...just pointing it out. I don't have my asbestos underoos handy, so don't take it out on me... IP: Logged |
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Alien Investor Assimilated
Posts: 361 |
posted April 12, 2002 13:46
Uh ... looks kinda like Nitrozac? No way. Nitrozac has MUCH better boots! IP: Logged |
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ActionFigure 1.0 Geek
Posts: 94 |
posted April 12, 2002 14:18
Yea, AI. I noticed that when she stepped on Bill Gates. IP: Logged |
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FatGnome Super Geek
Posts: 159 |
posted April 12, 2002 14:30
I commit mass Insectacide during the summers. killing those little suckers that suck the sap from my trees need to die. Also I never kill spiders unless they are in my bedroom. I like the little critters, as they eat other little critters that I like even less. The exception to this is when I find brown recluses. Those are a nasty variety that will go hunting for humans if they so desire. I do not mean to eat humans but just to bite them I guess. Anyway I like the rest of them. IP: Logged |
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ActionFigure 1.0 Geek
Posts: 94 |
posted April 12, 2002 14:50
I can't help bu tthink of the cute little ant in "Hney I shrunk the kids"....(never mind that the thing woudl have ripped the kids apart in real life) I hop on him to get as far away from the rapidly approaching Nitrozac...We pass Bill Gates... "You're on your own buddy..she dislikes you more than Apple Legal! Yah! Hi HO! Silver!" IP: Logged |
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tafkact Highlie
Posts: 635 |
posted April 12, 2002 14:52
down with bugs! i HATE bugs! mosquitoes are the worst - i can't go an hour outdoors in the warm weather w/o at least a single bite anything flying, crawling or otherwise invading my car, house, or immediate outdoor recreation area, i will hunt down and terminate with extreme predjudice bugs any and everywhere else are perfectly fine though not like you'd ever get rid of them ayway, or that you'd want to- the entire planet's ecosystem would collapse w/o bugs .... ESPECIALLY cockroaches! THOSE you can exterminate, wipe them off the planet (or take a good shot at doing so) i been around the planet a few times and i've seen some gi-freekin-gantic roaches - the kind where you step on them and they speak up "hey! watch it buddy!" and smack ya upside da head the bigger the roach, the scarier it is and the bigger reaction i give IP: Logged |
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Geordie Super Geek
Posts: 194 |
posted April 12, 2002 16:19
I don't usually kill insects unless they are actively capable of doing me harm. I kill wasps if they are inside the house, and hornets anywhere, but trust me they started it. Mosquitos and ticks are only fair game if they are actually on me. IP: Logged |
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Bregalad Super Geek
Posts: 226 |
posted April 12, 2002 16:45
I'm the type who tries to capture bugs and put them outside. I have exceptions though: mosquitoes, roaches, silverfish, fleas. I prefer to deal with carpenter ants in a humane way, but my parents' house was invaded a few years ago and the swarm had to be killed before they did serious damage. Spiders (other than black widows) are good to have around. They keep the population of other bugs down in a natural way. My parents used to have yellowjacket nests in their eaves. I got attacked once, but that was it. I do fear them and try to keep a safe distance from all wasp/hornet types, but they're a valuable part of the ecosystem. They have a useful effect on the mosquito population for example. IP: Logged |
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BlueAntoid Geek
Posts: 67 |
posted April 13, 2002 10:19
After four years of living in a basement, I've come to terms with my multi-legged brethren; they don't come within 3 feet of me, I let them live. Exceptions to this rule include: The shower, my bed, anything remotely like food, and any yellow-and-black striped flying, stingy insects. IP: Logged |
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supaboy SuperBlabberMouth!
Posts: 1270 |
posted April 13, 2002 16:55
I've got some of my own rules about bug behavior. Outside, I leave them alone if they leave me alone. If they want to risk a bite though, then they do so at risk of death. Inside, it depends on if I see the bugs as cute or beneficial, or not. Ladybugs, crickets, and spiders all get tossed outside. Chirping crickets inside risk death, however, and their peril increases as the night wears on. Ants, flies, and roaches are exterminated with extreme prejudice. Fire ants occasionally invade the below-ground parts of the house (like my room), and they are ill-tempered to begin with. When my bed was just a mattress on the floor, they invaded it while I was sleeping. I was awakened by hundreds of them biting me, and the welts stay around and itch for days. So I don't mess around when I see ants in the house anymore. IP: Logged |
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platypus Super Geek
Posts: 226 |
posted April 13, 2002 20:52
I just remembered by older brother's thing about spiders. See, he spent a couple years in the Phillipines, and he *claims* to have seen spiders that build webs over streams to catch fish as they jump out (and his intention is to make sure you believe these fish are more than guppy-size). Influence two on this thing about spiders is my brother's insane belief that arachnids are psychic. What this means is that when you kill a spider, it emits a silent, psychic, death scream. The spider that responds will be slightly larger than the last (this information is encoded in the death scream). You must then face a larger opponent (suposedly, the spider world works something like Tekken). The spiders continue to get larger. My brother, claiming to have seen these monstrous 8-legged beasts, believes that eventually, a Phillipine spider will respond, and he'll have to deal with a hideous creature with a one to two foot leg span in his kitchen. I think this is mostly a weak excuse he provides to explain why he screams like a little girl when he sees a spider (and why his wife is the spider-killer in his home, for which we mock him mercilessly). ------------------ IP: Logged |
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macadddikt18 BlabberMouth, the Next Generation.
Posts: 1425 |
posted April 13, 2002 21:58
depends on how i am. I see no need in letting ants live, they die. Spiders, they go outside, roaches I flush, except annoyed ones, i kill them with starcraft instead. pill bugs, i sweep up, and other odd bugs, i BURN BURN BURN. Fire is so much fun. Nayt ------------------ IP: Logged |
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Rednivek Super Geek
Posts: 157 |
posted April 14, 2002 14:00
Don't tread on an ant He's done nothing to you And there might come a day When he's treading on you Don't tread on an ant IP: Logged |
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pawn Assimilated
Posts: 393 |
posted April 14, 2002 21:10
A few years ago my (then) roommate decided to get rid of the wasps nest that was under our back step. What did she do? She poured gas down between the house and the step then lit it up. Some people are so stupid. I was sleeping but the smell woke me up pretty quick. I came upstairs to see what was going on and she told me what she did. It took me over three hours to get the wooden beams that connect the step to the house to stop smoldering. To top it all off, the wasps stayed under the step, until I sealed off the holes with a foam sealant. IP: Logged |
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DigitalBill Alpha Geek Posts: 282 |
posted April 14, 2002 22:57
quote: YAY! Red! Antmusic Rox! Well I'm standing here looking at you So unplug the jukebox Well I'm standing here what do I see? Words & Music by Adam Ant/Marco Pirroni Someday I'll tell you of my exploits with Adam and Marco... =bd Don't drink, dont smoke, what do you do? IP: Logged |
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Janeway Super Geek
Posts: 243 |
posted April 17, 2002 06:53
I'm the type of person who wouldn't hurt a fly. But there are some exceptions. Wasps-- If it's in my room, it's dead. If it's in another part of the house, unless I can easily kill it, I'll leave the door or window open and wait for it to fly out. Sometimes this backfires and another flies in. IP: Logged |
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Twinkle Toes Super Geek
Posts: 135 |
posted April 28, 2002 00:10
Well, whatever you guys do, don't kill Cockroach! He'll be ever so pissed... ------------------ IP: Logged |
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MightyJoeSakic Mini-Geek
Posts: 52 |
posted April 28, 2002 14:04
I finally found something that I want to deliberately kill, but they scare me so I don't mess with them. On Guam they have the biggest snails I have ever seen. These things have shells the size of a pool ball.... Those things are horribly nasty, and when you scare one it makes this horrible shhhhhlurping sound as it sucks itself into its shell.... Even though they're slow I know if I killed one the rest would come after me. Prolly catch me while I was sleeping. EEP! ~Thom ------------------ IP: Logged |
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TheAnnoyedCockroach Alpha Geek Posts: 331 |
posted April 28, 2002 15:44
quote: I'm sure I'd be right peevish if one of you chaps "gooshed" me. And I'd be terribly missed. My dead soul would never forgive my body for letting itself get crushed. ------------------ IP: Logged |
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Avatar Geek Apprentice
Posts: 45 |
posted April 28, 2002 15:45
I went on a killing spree yesterday. I get really bored sometimes, so I walked around in my backyard with a bottle of eco-friendly poison (I think that's an oxymoron) and killed anything that moved. Also, the bug vacuum I mentioned earlier in this post, it's really fun. Not only does it suck up the bug, it electrocutes them until sparks are flying. That is so satisfying.
quote: Next time your in Guam, can you send me one? I love bizarre pets. I've had a praying mantis, field mouse, gigantic moth... I never had a giant snail though. IP: Logged |
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quantumfluff Highlie
Posts: 704 |
posted April 28, 2002 21:46
quote: Bad avatar! You'll probably get Joe in a lot of trouble for trying to bring it on the plane. Even if he did get one back, you don't want to import animals from other habitats - they tend to wipe out things in a related niche. Evolution doesn't need any extra help. IP: Logged |
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