Fowl Play, the ninth Dewberry
Ick
I was standing in the kitchen five minutes ago, fixing myself an artichoke heart and tomato salad (not particularly tasty, but filling), when the motion sensor light on the back porch went on.
And do you know what set it off?
A gigantic tree roach.
That’s right. It was big enough to TRIP THE MOTION SENSOR.
I will be calling Aztec Organic Pest Control tomorrow.
Ick.
Ah, yes… all those magical summer evenings spent chasing cockroaches, then putting them into Mason jars and watching them, transfixed, until it was time to let them go again….
Wait, no, that’s not right….
Anyway, I know your fellow Texans… wait, that’s not quite right, either… those of us that also live in Texas totally sympathize with you.
If you’re up for suggestions, mine would be to make your own bait trays: mix several tablespoons of boric acid powder into a can of sweetened condensed milk, dollop the mixture onto cardboard squares and allow it to harden, then set them out. Works like a charm. Obviously best done when the kids are not around, so I’m not sure if I’m really being helpful here!
On the subject of fireflies, I think there may be just as many down here as there were for you in New York, because I tried chasing down hundreds of them growing up, but I also think development tends to kill them off, though they do seem to make a comeback eventually.
Anyway, good luck with the mutant tree roach problem (and the mutant county tax appraisal problem) but congratulations on the finished edits! And consider yourself blessed… MY two kids got out of school TODAY. 😮
John
Ew Ew Ew Ew Ew!!!
Gad–we must be psychically connected: Last night I had this hideous dream about opening my kitchen cupboard and finding that it was writhing with scorpions!
We’re doing some landscaping in our front yard (with rock and bark) and the Pest Guy (don’t mean that as an insult to his personality) told us to get it all sprayed as soon as its complete. I’m going to call today!
We had a cat once who loved to eat those things. He’d carry them onto the porch and crunch them loudly, like crispy chitlin’s. The tree roach population dwindled swiftly. My advice: get a cat, but test him first, to make sure the tree roaches won’t eat HIM.–Susan & China
If you want to be sure those Ickky cockroaches don’t set up house inside your walls, I suggest you look at PEST OFfense. No pesticides, they just leave!
http://www.pestoffense.com