Tis The Season...

....for boxelder bugs, "ladybugs," and don't forget shrews! Oh I hate this time of year! Every year, we get millions of ladybugs (Japanese beetles) and boxelder bugs and at least one shrew. Last night I came home from youth group to hear the infamous skitter in the kitchen. Ewww!!!! Out of the corner of my eye, there he ran, right under the dishwasher. For some reason, when we do get them, they always live under the dishwasher (great place) and venture out for food. Now I should have known he was in there, it should not have been a surprise. It's fall...and my kitchen floor was spotless...the biggest sign something was in there. I told Steve we had another one and out came the poison (no, I am not nice to critters that invade my home, so please don't send me any nasty notes...I have my five kids to protect!). That's another sure fire way to find out if we have one. Sure enough, this morning all poison was gone. This is a rather slow process because it takes about a week for it to actually kill them. So, tonight we will get out the glue trap and put it in front of the poison. After much research there are some reassuring facts about shrews. They are loners, they do not actually want to be inside, they are nocturnal, and are notorious over eaters. They eat something like 70 times their body weight. Don't quote me, but it's a lot. So we now know that if we have one, we do truly only have one. That doesn't mean more won't come in....they might. We usually average two a year. Plus since they love to eat, they sow down the poison. I have never seen anything like it. They go through a pack a night. Since they are nocturnal, I usually do not see/hear him unless it is night, which means I can pretend he isn't there during the day. We just always hope that they don't go back and die under the dishwasher....that would be even worse. So far, we've been lucky and somehow they get out of the hole long enough to die. And, so far, Steve has always been the one to catch them.

I do not like the smell of the "ladybugs" either. Whoever tells you bugs don't smell has never had these. So far this year we are not doing too bad. There are "only" about 10 in our room every night, so that's pretty good. The boxelders seem bad this year, but I think I just block it out every year just how thick they get.

I do not like bugs and critters....especially in my house!!!