I Am No Longer A Bug Murderer

I wonder how many bugs get killed daily. If you think about it, it is really sad when humans die in our life. We celebrate the life they lived and hold a big ceremony for their burial, but poor bugs don't really get anything but a big shoe crushing them. I was thinking about how dirty my windshield was when I drove to atlanta a couple of weeks ago. That is only a two and a half hour trip at most, and we are in the middle of January. I realize that all of that gunk on my windshield is squished up and splattered bug guts from the ride. Flying bugs were helplessly crossing the road when my car sped by and took their life right in that instant! To me, the thought of how many bugs die each day is insane. Especially before this class, I did not like bugs at all, but having taken this class it got me into thinking about how many bugs we kill each and every day. I know that they do not have the brains by any means that humans do. They do not know a whole lot about what is going on, and their life is short anyways but still! Realizing this, I might not be as inclined to kill every bug that I see anymore. Maybe instead I can pick them up and put them where they belong outside, or just leave them alone. I have realized in taking this class that they really do not do much harm to me, and although some of them are pests, a lot of bugs do great things for our environment. From now on I will try my best not to be a bug murderer, I will just let them live. As stupid as this sounds, I think I will feel like a better person!

http://www.google.com/search?q=bugs+on+windshields&client=safari&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=lz3rUv_xE-fWyQGR54DwCg&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1082&bih=575#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=OTj7mg4bkn9fxM%253A%3BcA0LprpSeJK4aM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwindshieldwasher.files.wordpress.com%252F2013%252F01%252Flovebugs.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwindshieldwasher.wordpress.com%252F2013%252F01%252F29%252Ftruckers-remove-windshield-bugs-while-driving-push-button-remote%252F%3B1600%3B1163

Bees Can Change Your Social Status

I think one of the most frustrating things about bugs is that bees can sting you. I really just do not enjoy bees at all, and the fact that they have the ability to sting people is so annoying. I do have some really great and horrifying memories as a kid playing in my yard though. I remember we would make a game out of it with the neighborhood kids. It was almost like a freeze tag kind of game, except more dangerous because you could actually be stung by a bee. If any of us saw a bee we would immediately say FREEZE ITS A BEE, and we would all stand extremely still and not make a sound. It was funny because I remember the positions we were stuck in seemed really hilarious to me as a kid. The fact that we wouldn't move because of one flying insect seems ridiculous, but I was not about to be the kid that gets stung by the bee! I was stung by so many as a child, and I can remember many occasions. One day I was playing on my swing set in my yard with a bunch of kids. We were all racing for the swings, so without hesitation I ran as fast as I could to the nearest swing and hopped on. Little did I know, there was a bee sitting right on the seat. It was summertime, so I was in by bathing suit because we had been running through the sprinklers earlier that day. That stupid bee stung me so bad on my butt, and I remember how embarrassed I was to this day. I screamed and held on to my right butt cheek, and ran as fast as I could to find my mom in my house. All the kids were laughing about the situation. Now that I look back on this funny instance I laugh, but holy cow I hate bees. They made me feel like I was the least cool kid on the planet that day. I know that they do some good for our environment, but for my social status they really did some damaging back in the day!

Here is a beautiful picture of a honey bee just to brighten up everyones day after reading my mean story about the fact that I do not like bees! 

http://www.google.com/search?q=bees&client=safari&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=ADvrUvG2LuSdyQHN2YCoDQ&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAg&biw=1082&bih=575#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=FpnXYqL3LuFM7M%253A%3B5HWqIThyWN8v-M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fecohoneybees.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252Fhoney-bee.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fecohoneybees.com%252Fhoney-bees%252F%3B1200%3B970

Ruffner Mountain

I really enjoyed my experience when I walked through Ruffner Mountain. It was really fun! I learned a lot about the mountain and I got to do things that I never thought I would get the opportunity to do. I learned that a branch that had fallen was not merely just a branch, it had a story to it. Dr. Van Zandt taught us about how there was most likely a beetle that had laid its eggs inside of the branch, and chewed the branch off of the tree. This story was very interesting to me because I realized that although it looked like an ordinary branch of leaves, there was actually a long story behind it. It was really cool to realize that nature is not just placed for no reason, but rather most of it has developed due to a long story. Bugs are a very important part of nature, and throughout this class this is something that I have learned. My favorite part of climbing Ruffner Mountain was when I got the opportunity to go into a cave. I have never been in a cave before, so this was an extremely cool experience for me. It was cool to have flash lights and be able to see the beauty of the way that the cave was constructed. I did not get the chance to find many bugs down there, but it was still a learning experience for me. Another thing about Ruffner that I thought was really cool was when we got to look at the quarry. I have not climbed many mountains before, so this was one of the first quarries that I have seen. I loved seeing the beautiful view. It made me think about how wonderful hiking could be, and that I should do it more often. So all in all, my experience at Ruffner Mountain was a very positive one, and I can not wait to hike more mountains and learn about nature in the future! 

http://www.google.com/search?q=ruffner+mountain&client=safari&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=prjpUtq5D4vrkQeK24HACQ&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAg&biw=1155&bih=633#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=ZVpa0ZCFdm7YYM%253A%3BPipF-Y-UZMiRjM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fmedia-cdn.tripadvisor.com%252Fmedia%252Fphoto-s%252F01%252F25%252Fd4%252Fdc%252Fhawks-view-at-ruffner.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.tripadvisor.com%252FAttraction_Review-g30375-d279377-Reviews-Ruffner_Mountain_Nature_Center-Birmingham_Alabama.html%3B336%3B450

Sleep Tight, Don't Let The Bed Bugs Bite!

For my entire life, I have always had this fear of bugs, but the biggest fear that I have with them is holy cow are they in my bed at night? During this class I learned that bedbugs are in fact a thing, and they are very common. When I was younger and my parents would say to me “ sleep tight don’t let the bed bugs bite!” I always had this image of all of these nasty large bugs crawling all over my legs and biting me when they would say that. It haunted me for life. To this day, bedbugs scare me! Obviously I can not be too afraid of them and let them affect my life much anymore, because there really is nothing that we can do about them. We can clean our sheets and bedding as much as possible, but the truth is bedbugs will most likely still be existent. During this course when I started to realize this, I became a little less afraid of them. All they can do to me is bite me in the night, and they are so small that they are extremely hard to see. They still freak me out, but they do not scare me nearly as much as they used to. 

I am not sure if I have ever been bit by a bedbug, but I am sure that I have, for I have woken up with itchy red bug bites before not knowing how or where I got them from. In the future, just because that dumb bedtime phrase freaked me out so much and scarred me for life, I will not be telling that saying to my children. I do not want my kids to ever have that terrible image in their head of these nasty bugs! There are just some things that kids do not need to know about, and these are definitely one of them! 

http://www.google.com/search?q=bedbugs&client=safari&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=g7bpUtC2BqSMyAHAl4DoDA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1155&bih=633#facrc=_&imgdii=MDyD5YikC8YxuM%3A%3BZTUQL9wTIVOJWM%3BMDyD5YikC8YxuM%3A&imgrc=MDyD5YikC8YxuM%253A%3B8uUjRsTajeKZmM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fchipptips.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2014%252F01%252Fbed-bug1.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fchipptips.com%252Fbedbugs%252F%3B2200%3B1500

Final Thoughts

At the beginning of this class I really did not like bugs. I would always squish them if I found them, especially the silverfish that I saw in my shower when I lived at home. Bugs used to gross me out and scare me at the same time. The first day of class when Dr. Van Zandt brought out the Madagascar hissing cockroach it really scared me. I was so afraid of them because of their size and the noise that they would make. Then, he began telling us facts about them, and the more that I learned about them the less scared I was. I am pretty sure I was the only person in the class that did not hold one, but still my fear was eased the more that I learned about them. They were not as scary as I initially thought. They were very slow, and they could not harm you at all which made me not as scared. Since then, I have held many bugs and leaned a ton about the different types. It was so fun to search for bugs and not be nearly as afraid as I was when this class started out. I have really enjoyed learning all of this new information about bugs because it has helped me to realize they are actually really cool, and not as disgusting. For some reason the more I know about them the less they scare and gross me out. I am extremely glad I got the chance to take this class because it has really made me grow and learn to cope with my fear. I have had so much fun, and I can not wait to go out this summer and not be so afraid of bugs!

Post 5 Eating bugs?!?

I have always been repulsed at insects ever since I was a child. They just flat out gross me out. This class has helped me conquer my fear a ton, but I still cringe when I see a big bug that moves faster than I can watch it. When all of the cicadas came out and there was an over abundance of them along with their shells all over the streets I was absolutely terrified.

These bugs scarred me over that summer. I saw people eating them on the news and it disgusted me. I could not believe people were crying them up and eating them as meals AND enjoying it! It freaked me out, and ever since then the thought of eating bugs has been something I typically do not ever consider. Reading about it in the article grossed me out even more, although it made it seem more normal. The article talked about how much other countries eat bugs, and the fact that some people even buy them in movie theaters. Although I am grossed out, the fact that this became more normal sounding helped me to be not so afraid. Who knows, maybe I will eventually try eating some form of a bug in the future. (On my own intentions.)

On another note, hearing about the fact that I consume thousands of insects per year made me freak out a ton. I know that there was some, but hearing thousands really makes me grossed out. I just do not even want to think about how that happens! I tend to sleep with my mouth open, so in the future I will try and close my mouth when I sleep.

Lastly, if I had to switch over to insects as my main source of portion I'm sure that I would be able to do it eventually. I feel like if I tried hard to get used to it, and everyone else was doing it and seemed like they were okay, I would be able to do this. I would only be able to if there were literally no other options though!

Chapter 10