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Our houses are going to the bugs
#1
It seems our houses are full of bugs. A five year, five continent study has concluded that we live with bugs all the time.
It didn't matter if the place was clean or dirty. Pets were not an issue and neither was clutter. The average home had about 100 species all the time.

http://nationalpost.com/news/world/your-...o-about-it


We live on a planet that is full of animals. There is no way we can get away from them. Most of these bugs are part of a healthy ecosystem within our homes. For some of us this is not a surprize and we are happy to share our space with others. 
Some people, we should forget to tell them about this. They have trouble coping with squirrels and raccoons. 

I have seen quite a few things living in my space. I am sure I have never seen 100. I clearly have house guests I don't know about. Or perhaps I should call them roommates.   
Smiley4
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Catherine

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#2
Haha! That doesn't surprise me! People should perhaps stop trying to live the perfect, pristine, bug-free, germ-free lifestyles. (Well....within reason of course! Mud tracked into the bed by a dog is not so much fun.) Any amount of time living in the countryside, and especially off-grid, soon cures anyone of those ideas.

I know quite a lot of my bugs. Some of them even have names. Some are hurried visitors who are curious about me, but who are busy and don't wish to linger. Some have spent quite some time here. Spindly spiders, for example. I will have a mass eviction via jam-jar if it's nice weather, and will put them in the wood shed, but if it's winter or raining I leave them be. Spindly spiders mean no harm and catch whatever they need to eat. But they make messy webs. They are the untidiest spiders, and their webs start to look like a teenager's bedroom! Smiley4  So those get vacuumed every now and again.

I have a black beetle who visits regularly (not 100% sure he is the same one, but I call him "George" anyway.) He will stop to take a look at me, then trundle off.
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#3
I like the spindly spiders, but you are right, they have messy webs. I have some larger black spiders in the bathroom. I have a slug sometimes. I don't know where he goes. I should name him.
I have many legged house centipedes all over. I call them Seymour and Peabody. They come out from under things and look at me. I have little sow beetles all over. I think they are cute. I think it helps that we know these creatures are not dangerous.
We understand that they help keep things cleaned up. I enjoy the company. I just wish I had salamanders.
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Catherine

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#4
It would be so nice if a Salamander visited you!
I have had three or four night-time visits by beautiful little Newts (which I suppose are similar to Salamanders) It is such a treat to get a visit like that.

Bigger spiders don't usually last very long in my place. The spindlies trap them and eat them....yes I know -sad or what? Those harmless little fragile spiders will even eat each other if the going gets tough. They are certainly not Angels.

I get centipedes too, and many Moths.
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#5
I am going to call the spindly spiders from now on. The name has stuck. I went into the bathroom and one of them had put a web across the top of my laundry hamper. My first thought was Spindly Spider. They are aggressive eaters aren't they.
I had the one that lives above my shower produce an egg sack. I was there the night she built a nursery web and opened the sack and took the babies out one at a time. There were 53 of them. They were really tiny and they were so cute. She stayed for 3 days and then she left them. They were all over the place building webs in the oddest places. Then they seemed to drift away all over my place.

Some of my bigger spiders are smart enough to hide in places spindly spiders can't go.

I have the usual little bugs and moths. Every spring I have ants for awhile. I still can't find the spot where they get in.

I have crickets to feed to the lizards. There is always a clever one that gets away. It hides under the frig or stove where its little chirps are amplified. I am rather used to the sound by now. I only occasionally tell them to shut up.

Newts  would be nice, but I have more chance of a visit from a toad. There are toads, but I haven't seen one in my immediate area. I like the fact that there are interesting things living with me. It makes my place more of a home.
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Catherine

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