Windex won’t kill it.
September 8, 2006
I am seeking possible suggestions on how to get rid of a creepy medium spider that is living in my aloe vera plant in my kitchen without killing the plant. I sprayed it with Windex on 3 separate occasions but apparently it is a super-spider and is still alive. And yes I hit it with the windex each time and drenched it. Windex works for ants… so why not spiders. It is not a black widow but it sure could be a cousin… it is black and lives hovering over the moist soil of the plant pot. I finally got rid of my ant problem and not this insect needs to go. Oh I also pulled a tick out of my cat’s chin last week… what’s going on here? I got the whole tick out though… that’s like my 3rd time pulling out a tick (1st time on my own pet) – I’m a pro at that if anyone needs help although I hate ticks more than any insect.. then fleas, then spiders and then ants.
A side note: That police station that Paris Hilton was locked up in last night is my local police station down the street from my apartment. Ha.. another rich idiot busted.
Entry Filed under: Ramblings of a Twentysomething. .
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1.
Dad | September 8, 2006 at 11:11 am
Michelle, I am disappointed in your use of the generic term of the word insect. Spiders are not insects, nor ticks. (invertebrate zoology) The common name for arachnids comprising the order Araneida.
insect
Any member of the class Insecta, the largest arthropod class, including nearly 1 million known species (about three-fourths of all animals) and an estimated 5–10 million undescribed species. Insect bodies have three segments: head, thorax (which bears three pairs of legs and usually two pairs of wings), and many-segmented abdomen. Many species undergo complete metamorphosis. There are two subclasses: Apterygota (primitive, wingless forms, including silverfish and bristletails) and Pterygota (more advanced, winged or secondarily wingless forms). The approximately 27 orders of Pterygota are generally classified by wing form: e.g., Coleoptera (beetles), Diptera (dipterans), Heteroptera (bugs). Insects are found in almost all terrestrial and freshwater and some marine habitats
However, if you are not being the biology major I guess you are somewhat correct.
in·sect (ĭn’sĕkt’)
n.
Any of numerous usually small arthropod animals of the class Insecta, having an adult stage characterized by three pairs of legs and a body segmented into head, thorax, and abdomen and usually having two pairs of wings. Insects include the flies, crickets, mosquitoes, beetles, butterflies, and bees.
Any of various similar arthropod animals, such as spiders, centipedes, or ticks. See Regional Note at lightning bug.
An insignificant or contemptible person
Remove Ticks
How to remove ticks:
Being careful not to squash the tick, grasp it by the head with fine-tipped curved forceps and slowly pull straight out.
How not to remove ticks:
Don’t remove the tick with your fingers.
In many areas of the country the tick is likely to be carrying lyme disease or other pathogens that can harm humans. It would be smarter to leave that tick alone than to get tick saliva under your fingernails.
Don’t squash the tick.
The spirochete that causes Lyme disease hibernates in the tick’s intestine, sometimes for years, waiting for a signal that a new host is available. This signal, an influx of fresh blood, triggers an enormous increase in the spirochete population. After filling the intestine, spirochetes move to the salivary glands and enter the their new host along with anticoagulants and anesthetics produced by the tick. Squashing the tick spreads spirochetes everywhere.
Don’t try to burn the tick or smother it with Vaseline etc..
Once that tick is firmly fastened in place, it takes time for the tick to detach itself and depart. No matter how badly the tick may wish to leave quickly, it simply can’t. A burning cigarette may kill the tick but won’t make it fall off. Ticks can live without air for a long time, so attempts to smother it allow disease transmission to continue for several hours. Anything that upsets or harms the tick without removing it can theoretically cause the tick to regurgitate its stomach contents back into the host, increasing the likelihood of disease transmission.
Don’t twist the tick out.
Ticks aren’t threaded. Your best chance of removing the head is pulling straight out with steady traction. Twisting invariably leaves the head behind. Because tick-twisters don’t feel the head break off they think it has been removed.
tick (tĭk)
n.
Any of numerous small bloodsucking parasitic arachnids of the families Ixodidae and Argasidae, many of which transmit febrile diseases, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease.
Any of various usually wingless, louselike insects of the family Hippobosciddae that are parasitic on sheep, goats, and other animals.
2.
Dad | September 8, 2006 at 11:13 am
http://www.950kprc.com/pages/gardenline-insectspray.html
From a guy who has a garden show in Houston.
Randy’s Homemade Insect Killer
(Designed for patio/potted plants)
Here is my homemade “organically-based” formula for getting rid of things like aphids, thrips and mealybugs on potted or patio pots.
WARNING: This formula is a work-in-progress. I’m sure there are some plants it won’t work well on. In fact, it might even burn the leaves of some tropical plants. But, so far, the spray has killed no plant, and in almost all cases the bugs have been eliminated.
Homemade Insect Killer
In a one-quart spray bottle, mix …
- 1 tablespoon of neem oil
- ¼ to ½ cup of rubbing alcohol (use up to ½ cup when dealing with mealybugs)
- 3-4 drops of citrus oil (d-limonine)
- 5-6 drops of dish soap
Then fill the rest with water.
I started using a version of this spray about three years ago, when my son got to walking age. He loved going out on the backyard patio and, like any child, was just inquisitive enough to pick off any flower or leaf within reach. So, I figured it was time to start using only “organic” products on the patio.
I knew citrus oils would kill insects, but at the rates I tried, I burned many Hibiscus leaves and potted flowers like New Guinea impatiens … even petunias.
That is how the above formula evolved. I look at it as the best of many “organic” worlds.
We know citrus oil (d-limonine) works on anything, but at what rate will it cause a phytotoxic burn?
We know rubbing alcohol is perfect for mealybugs, but usually it has to be directly applied.
And we know neem oil is not only a natural insecticide, but a fungal protection agent, too.
And finally, we all know (or, need to know) that most waters in Southeast Texas are hard, and by adding a bit of dish soap we create a surfactancy that will allow our homemade spray to actually stick to things.
Try it, and let me know what you think. I especially need to know on what plants it has a phytotoxic effect.
Good Luck!
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