I think I have mentioned I am not a real "bug" person. My mom tried to coax me into taking an entomology class my Senior year of college but I was WAY too skeeved out by the idea of collecting bugs all quarter to entertain the option (she was just looking for an outlet for her freezer collection of dead bugs). In fact, this winter when we had a spider move into our dining room. I decided it was much better to co-habitate then to risk feeling that little body crunch if I killed it. That is how we got our first ever pet. He was a little friend the kids and I would hang out with and chat about. Superkid even drew him a picture of a web to hang next to his web. It even got to the point that when Superkid and Abizella's friends came over for pre-school they would run into the house to check in with "Webby". Well, one day I asked a friend to come over with her kids and watch my kids while I went for a long run. I was in the bedroom going through the ritual of putting Tadpole down for a nap when I heard Superkid's friend scream and start to cry that there was a spider in the dining room. His mom (a much braver woman than myself) quickly extinguished our little friend, which of course made my kids cry. I could see the whole event playing out before it even happened tucked away in my room but felt the spider was a good sacrifice for a Tadpole nap, for my friend's sake. In retrospect, two happy spider owning kids and a cranky baby was the better option.
We recently have had a new "pet" join the family. The kids named him "Bee-Eater" after his impressive display of catching and eating a bumble bee LIVE right before our eyes! I discovered our little friend Saturday afternoon. I felt like someone was staring me down when BAM! I made eye contact with our little friend. He has made our window sill (outside!) his little home. We have now witnessed him hunting and eating 2 bumble bees! Before he caught his first bumble bee lunch, I didn't think it could possibly be true. Don't preying mantis only eat "bad" bugs? Well a little internet research proved that theory wrong!
If you click on the pic you can see the bee's half eaten body... if you are into that sort of thing.
Well, no worries, if this one runs out of bumble bees to eat, Abizella has already scribbled up a stack of paper bumble bees to munch on.Bee-eater may actually become the newest resident of our basement. We have talked SERIOUSLY of setting off a bug bomb in our basement when we leave town (especially since Pops noticed our super-sized Daddy Long Leg that guards our washing machine was missing its body. We are just a little nervous to think WHAT would be brave enough to leave just the gigantic spider's long legs dangling from its web). But if we relocate Bee-eater our bug problems (not to mention mouse, small hummingbird...but not tarantula...you'll see what I mean if you click the You Tube link above) will be solved!
2 comments:
how funny! Our house is flooded with Praying Mantis. my kids LOVE them too.
Love it! We had a praying mantis come inside out apartment when we were college kids and sat by the phone for a few hours. We weren't sure if he was waiting for a call or followed another bug inside but figured if he was that desperate to use the phone, who were we to stop him?
What an education your kids are getting inside and outside your house! I say start charging money at the door and call it a nature museum!
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