House centipedes occasionally wander into the house. This morning one went to its demise after scouting for prey in our kitchen. If you read the link to family handyman at the beginning it tells you that you probably should not kill them. Cheryl did not read that article.
Watching that activity, I thought about it from the bug’s point of view…
bug – “doddy-oat doe” Humming to itself. This looks like a good place to hunt as it moves into lighted part of the kitchen floor.
Cheryl – “Eeeeke! Get outta here you!” Lot’s of thumps and bumps while she tries to get up.
bug – “Holy cow there must be some kinda earthquake going on.”, it thinks. It freezes to check its surroundings.
Paul – “What’s happening in there?”
Cheryl – “There’s one of those thousand leggers.” As I come into the kitchen she says, “There it is!”, pointing to the insect hiding under the base cabinet front. I grabbed the fly swatter hanging on the pantry door and handed it to her as Mr. Centipede scampered out of harm’s way under the refrigerator.
Paul – “Here use this it will work better.”
The centipede stayed under the fridge for a few minutes searching for prey and weighing options for escape. Soon the cry erupted, “There you are!” WHACK. WHACK WHACK.
bug – “Damn. Crazy woman. What is up with you? I’m outta here.” It retreated back under the fridge and Cheryl shoved the fly swatter under the front of the refrigerator in an effort to chase the bug out from underneath. It reappeared to the left when Cheryl was probing to the right. She whacked at it some more as it attempted to scurry away.
bug – ” Ow, ow ow. OUCH. That hurts. Why are y…” Centipedes are delicate creatures and tend to disintegrate with a direct hit. This one did just that.
Gone to centipede heaven as dust.
Cheryl – “Got it!”
There is a rule in our house. No bug of any type may live there. No benefit may ameliorate the absoluteness of none.
I laugh now. It is entertaining to watch. I used to worry because of Cheryl’s balance issues. I worried that she would fall down chasing a bug across the floor. And then I realized that often her Parkinson disappeared for a bit. The necessity to cause death to all bugs overrode any Parkinson. In fact she is pretty good at mashing ants with the tip of her cane or the tip of a walker leg. The only thing that needs improvement is her reaction time.
Bug whacking is also pretty good exercise. She will come right out of the chair to bush whack a bug.
Carpe Diem.
Adjunct_Wizard 