Cruelty to Insects?

GutshotApe · 07-03-2003, 09:52 AM

The other day a big horsefly landed on my arm and took a bite...ow! Reminded me of how much we used to hate horseflies when I worked for the Big W's forestry crew in the upper Toutle & Green River areas. In June & July they'd be thick and after leaving the pickup parked in the woods, we would return and always find several trapped inside between dashboard and windshield.

They are aggressive biters but when pursued and caught, they were wimps. You can grab a horsefly and hold it - and they don't do anything.

So, each guy would first cut a small sliver from a piece of wood...about 3" long and sharp on one end...then we'd grab a horsefly and impale the bug in the hind-most part with the sliver, just far enough for it to stick...helped to cut a little barb or two on the end of the sliver.

Then the bug was released...and if you had used the right size & weight sliver, and didn't stick it in too far, they became little helicopters. They'd fly straight up, clear out of sight. Of course, we thought that was hilarious! :grin:

Another time we were on a forest fire doing mop up and at some point we accumulated another pickup full of horseflies. One of the guys had a needle & thread in his kit. Each of us took about 3 feet of thread, tied a noose in one end, grabbed a horsefly and lassoed it around the abdomen. Then, we'd fly our pet horseflies on their leashes...last one flying won.

When they tired out, we'd hang them close to the nearest burning coals and warm 'em up...they'd be good for several minutes of additional sport flying.

Great fun!

Anybody else into bug torture? :whazzup:

Silver Hilton · 07-03-2003, 10:01 AM

Slow day on the river?

My insect torture was limited to ants and magnifying glasses as a boy. But I DO remember great pleasure...

Ramstrong · 07-03-2003, 10:05 AM

Both horse and deer flys deserve slow painful deaths. I was never a pull the wings off of a fly guy. And I've had a horsefly bite the hand that swats it. So I've always killed them as quick as possible. But I did take a magnifying glass to anything that moved when I was a kid. Not many animals that weren't pets came around my place growing up. At least not until my BB gun got taken away. :shocked:

Thumper · 07-03-2003, 10:22 AM

As a youth my Mom taught me to catch flies in my hand. I got so I could catch two with two swipes. This served me well as a teenager.

As that teenager I washed dishes and fry-cooked for a drive-in restaurant. My school friends loved to come in each evening with their girlfriends (sometimes with mine!) and lord it over me. That got a little old.

So whenever they would order a side of fries I would go to the back room and catch two flies. I'd throw them into the french fryer along with the potatoes ... tsst ... tsst ... and serve 'em up. :grin:

I always felt a little guilty about that. Not too much. Just a little....

[ 07-03-2003, 11:25 AM: Message edited by: Thumper ]

pdxkevin · 07-03-2003, 12:01 PM

Have you made a Fly Plane?

hntngirl · 07-03-2003, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Have you made a Fly Plane?

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">:shocked: :grin: :grin: :grin: That is too cool! I love things a little warped! I'm gonna open the screen later and make one myself!

DanS · 07-03-2003, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Not many animals that weren't pets came around my place growing up. At least not until my BB gun got taken away

[img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

Fish_N_Russ · 07-03-2003, 03:30 PM

I guess I am too cruel, I always look for a friendly spider web when I find flies.......(insert evil laugh here) :shocked:

Birdnest · 07-03-2003, 09:38 PM

A yellow jacket decided that I deserved a nice sting... I decided he need one second at a time in the microwave until he was no longer. [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img]

Snapset · 07-04-2003, 10:57 PM

In World History class, I learned that I could catch flies in my hand, slam them on the floor to stun them, and with the permission of Jill, who had long, fine, hair, tie a slip knot around the neck of the stunned fly. I also learned that if I were to tie up to seven flies to the same hair, I could have a squadron that would do wonders for the morale of the class. I still can't tell you much about Charlemagne, though.

Pyramid · 07-05-2003, 07:35 AM

We have it so good here. Were my Father in law lives in Belize, they have a snake they call the 2step. Because that's how far you go after you've been bitten. :depressed:

Fish_N_Russ · 07-05-2003, 10:07 AM

Well if we are talking about snakes, lets not forget the Bushmaster, native to south and central america.........they work in pairs, the male distracts you while the female sneaks up behind you.......deadly venom also :shocked:

Pyramid · 07-05-2003, 10:17 AM

Dont mean to hijack this thread, but have you seen any info on the taipan snake? it can outrun you while it keeps biting you, and it's one of the 5 deadliest snakes in the world.

The Black Mamba is a bad one too. It rares up, looks you in the eye before it bites you in the face.

Thumper · 07-05-2003, 04:52 PM

Waiddaminit!!! In the bible it says that God assured us that we would have dominion over the creatures of the earth. That was the deal! Haven't these snakes heard about the pecking order?

Snapset · 07-05-2003, 06:20 PM

Yes, we would have the power to crush its head, but it would have the power to bruise our heel.

Fish_N_Russ · 07-06-2003, 12:13 AM

I guess thats why they need that 'snake bonking day' on the Simpsons........keep those dang things in check :grin:

Oh btw, that reminds me......Barry White RIP :smile:

[ 07-06-2003, 01:15 AM: Message edited by: Fish_N_Russ ]

Elwix · 07-06-2003, 12:28 AM

Silver Hilton... Glassing ants was definitely memorable. Maybe not politically correct, but definitely memorable. Remember the smell of fried ants?
pdxkevin:

Too funny. When I was going to college, some of the girls would pull long hairs out of their brushes and super glue them to flies they'd catch; just so they could have their very own fly on a leash.

BonkBonkBonk · 07-06-2003, 08:16 AM

hahah, pet flys! thats great!
man, i hate the smell of burn ants now, yuck!
i used to freeze ants, then put em in the microwave to thaw em out
and once i caught about 20 grasshoppers, and put them in the neighbors ice tea
yuck, but that was funny at the time

Flatfish · 07-06-2003, 01:33 PM

You folks don't know diddly about killing vermin. Yall may have me beat in the torture category!

Mark the fumigator and the dog.

pdxkevin · 07-08-2003, 05:27 AM

Glad these aren't close by here...

The world's most poisonous octopus is the size of a golf ball

First you will feel nauseous. Your vision becomes hazy. Within seconds you are blind. You loose your sense of touch. You cannot speak or swallow. Three minutes later you are paralysed and unable to breath.

You knew that the blue-ringed octopus is extremely poisonous but how were you to know that this was one when its tiny parrot-like beak bit through your wetsuit. The last thing the victim sees are the blue rings - visible only when it is about to attack.

Pyramid · 07-08-2003, 10:35 AM

The last thing the victim sees are the blue rings - visible only when it is about to attack.

Nasty way to go!

The Fishing Geek · 07-08-2003, 10:48 AM

Being a latchkey kid I was always looking for ways to entertain myself. One year my family home had a bad infestation of grasshoppers. Inspiration struck, and I decided that using my mothers sewing pins to stick grasshoppers to the rubber welcome mat would be interesting. They looked like little carousel animals when they would jump up, then slide back down. A couple would jump hard enough to dislodge themselves, but then they'd just lurch to the side with the pin through their chest. I ended up pulling the pins out and putting those pins back in her sewing kit.

greenbuttskunk · 07-08-2003, 02:58 PM

When I was a kid of about 12 years old, I used to collect scorpions and tarantulas when I lived in Tucson Ariz. My favorite sick twisted thing was to feed small cockroaches or potato bugs to the scorpions. They would hunt it down, the grab the poor victim with the pinchers and that's all she wrote. Supper time! Quite a cool yet morbid sight!!! :grin:

Eric W. · 07-08-2003, 07:55 PM

Is this a PETA web site? I must be in the wrong place. You guys are awesome! We used to take 2lb test and fly big dragon flies around like remote control airplanes (the ones with the strings attached)

Silver Hilton · 07-08-2003, 08:20 PM

We are SICK!!! And I like it!

Elwix · 07-08-2003, 08:49 PM

Silver Hilton..

Too funny.

GutZ · 07-08-2003, 11:47 PM

I'm gonna hafta try that fly plane. Thanks PDX.

We used to have a lot of Garter Snakes in our back yard. Used to. Catch 'em by the tail and snap 'em like a towel and their heads pop right off. Great fun!

Slug Stomping is a lot of fun, too. Line 'em up and see who can shoot their's the furthest.

Oh, to be 12 again!