So yesterday, every time I went in the bathroom, I heard a rustling scratchy noise. At first I thought it was people walking by–the bathroom window opens onto the porch, and the driveway is right there. People walk by all the time.
Then it was 0300 and I was on my way to bed and every time it was quiet, I heard the scratching.
It’s because this gentleman was in my bathtub, unable to get out.
Do NOT click if bugs freak you out.
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| From KD’s Pets |
Yes, that’s my hand next to it. Yes, it’s very carefully on the bottom of the tub to make the comparison. Yes, those things do bite, I’m told, but his attention was elsewhere.
That, my friends, is a very unhappy palo verde beetle. I rescued him and put him outside, but sadly he stayed in the driveway until someone turned him into bug-puddle. These creatures are not particularly fast moving. (they do fly, somehow!)
So yeah. Should have known this day would be grand, after that. 
Aw, he got squished. :look:
If I’d known he was going to stay put, I’d have tossed him into the yard of the guy with the band-saw at 0600 on Monday mornings…
…please tell me you have small hands. ’cause at the moment I can’t remember, and I’m comparing that bug to my hand for scale, and my brain is going “HOLY SHIT IT’S THREE INCHES LONG NOT COUNTING THE ANTENNAE AND LEGS D: D: D: D: D:”
I do have small hands! Also, these beetles are well-known, but not really common. Everybody knows those “holy shit!” bugs exist, but the average is one a summer if that. And I’ve lived here twenty years and never had one in the house before.
The thing is that the bathroom window doesn’t have a screen, and the kid would leave it open all the time though I told her not to. I don’t think that window is ever going to open again, after the way she screamed that night! ^__^
(so please, don’t be afraid to come when the opportunity arises. I will protect you!)
Aww. I am also sad that your new friend got squished.
On the other hand, there was a spider in my bathroom last night that died an unholy death by bleach saturation and vaccuuming. Then I made J check the house. 🙄 *SUCH A GIRL*
Heh. I was going to say “oh, I’d do the same to my SO” but the truth is, I rescued him when icky things came to call. I’ll never forget the time a tailless whip scorpion (harmless despite the name) crawled out of the firewood and up onto the couch next to my head. He didn’t even tell me, just stuck the kid under his arm and ran out the door. I would have run after (I didn’t know what it was and it looked scary as HELL!) but then it would be anywhere it wanted in my house. So I had to deal with it, or move out. XD
My problem with bugs tends to be when they actually crawl on me. I will occasionally scream like the soprano I’m not when GIANT BUGS happen and/or crawl on me (I hit high C once when a huge spider crawled out of my fake-sheepskin rug and onto my foot, but… I think a lot of people would have?). I am vastly relieved it isn’t three inches long, and I can probably protect myself fairly well. >_>
oh, believe me. Had he crawled on me there would have been some serious screaming. XD