Ideal Bite

Love this bug relocation tip. It's easy, anyone can do it, it has good karma, and it's FREE!

Agree 100% about spiders! But I also live in NYC... What about pesky cockroaches? I have to admit, I am not so into releasing them.

I agree with Cynthia. I frequently trap and release spiders, crickets, and moths. It's a good thing to do. The only way I would kill a bug is if it were biting me, and that's never happened. :)

Another beneficial critter is the house centipede. They kill roaches and other bugs. However, they are capable of biting and they crawl very fast. I usually leave them alone and if I have to move one, I trap it with a glass cup (so they can't cling) and stiff paper. Good method for roaches and other fast bugs.

When I find a spider elsewhere in the house I gently move it to one of my houseplants where it may find its dinner.

OK--so I know that Ladybugs are beneficial, cute and generally considered to be good luck... But, I just found out that my son is extremely allergic to ladybug carcasses (...ladybugs burrow into exposed wood beams/rafters, lay eggs and die... ladybug carcass dust becomes airborne... my little asthmatic experiences respiratory distress when the heat goes on... eggs hatch and cycle continues...) (His pulminologist drew blood at his last visit--it's beyond me how his blood showed this particular allergy, but it did...)

Since ladybugs are considered to be endangered species, pest control companies are not allowed to exterminate them. I'm sorry, but I value my child's airway more than the ladybugs--their presence in my house is endangering my child, (and we need the heat in the winter...) We've got special filters for our air ducts but it doesn't seem to be enough... his blood levels still show exposure...

Just how are we supposed to stop these little buggers from getting in in the first place! And how are we supposed to get them out before they lay their eggs without killing them? We're desperate to stop this breeding cycle so we can rid our house of them for good!

I learned about this from another newsletter I get. The Hedgeapple aka Osage Apple is a fruit (inedible) that repels insects. Here is the link to a site that tells all about them, as well as sells them if you can't find them locally. http://hedgeapple.com/ ~Claudia

Most spiders that you find indoors are indoor spiders. Why not just leave them alone to do their good work indoors? Spiders walking into your mouth as you sleep is an arachno-myth!

I usually let my spiders and house centipedes hang out in the house so they can prevent the ones I DON'T want from moving in. I typically don't have a problem but live above a restaurant in Philly. Once in a while I get a few roaches. I have no intention of being nice to them. I have no mercy for a creepy roach! I'll squish them if I can and lay out sticky traps like mad.

Kerry, I suggest you do some searching on the internet about getting rid of ladybugs. (They are not an endangered species - protected perhaps, but not endangered. I've heard that the kind that likes to winter in houses is not even native to the U.S.) I suggest going to davesgarden.com and I'll bet someone there can point you in the right direction. Some of the forums there are free and some are only for paid subscribers.