NEMESIS!

[oneirophrenia]

Oh. My. Gods.

My house is being invaded by gigantic insects.

The specifics: When I returned home from work tonight, what do I see chillin' on my porch but a gigantic pale-yellow moth. I thought it was dead--it wasn't moving, after all, even when I flicked it off the siding--so I put it in a big tupperware container so I could preserve it and maybe identify it...but then I noticed Kristi freaking out and climbing on my desk. Thern I heard the rattling of a large winged insect trying to get out of its suffocating prison! So I released the moth back into the wild, since I really didn't want to keep it if it wasn't dead. It's now sitting on a big fern on my porch, and I hope it won't be telling it's big brother the Mothman about this little incident. (I haven't been able to conclusively identify it yet, but I think it's an Imperial moth.)

Anyway, then a little while ago, I saw Kristi staring weirdly at something on the floor in the dining room. Then she jumped back as though whatever had caught her attention was attacking, so I got up to check it out...and there was this huge brownish-copper beetle-esque beast crawling across the carpet!!!

I think it was...a roach.

My house has NEVER had roaches. Hell, I barely even know what one looks like. But a few weeks ago one of 'em crawled out of my overnight bag at Vanessa's and now this? This fucker was half the length of my godsdamned hand! I caught it in the same box as the moth and threw it in the toilet, figuring I'd flush it away to oblivion--but the monster crawled back up out of the drain! I had to pour bleach on it to make it finally stop moving, and then flushed it away....

Jayzus. I am beset on all sides my monstrous insects. I wonder where all the radiation is coming from to create these beasts?

Comments

[joi-division.livejournal.com]

The roachie looking bug could actually be one of these water bugs that my parents used to get. A day or two after a big rain, these bugs would come up from the ground and they'd be in the house. The were impossible to kill- and they fly. The are part of the roach family, but not as bad, according to the exterminator. (And since that visit, they were nevr seen again)

[cyano.livejournal.com]

I was just going to say the same thing.

and with all the rain this season, it doesn't wholly surprise me that they are around.

[oneirophrenia.livejournal.com]

Ah! You are almost certainly right. The only question is: how *big* are these water bugs? That sucker last night was a good three to four inches long.

[joi-division.livejournal.com]

It actually sounds about right size wise- the ones I've seen at my folks were huge and would give me the heebie jeebies for a week after. They're also the right color too.

[oneirophrenia.livejournal.com]

Yeah--right after I posted that initial reply I dug up an entomology website and went looking under the "large, disgusting, traumatic beetle-things" section and found what I believe to be the creature itself.

Weird thing is...I have never before seen one of these things before, in the wild or even in the basement--and that says a lot, considering the fact that up until recent years I was outside wondering in the woods or playing in the basement more than I was at home or anywhere else. Apparently, these water bugs are indigenous to our area--they aren't foreign invaders who just happened to land within the last few months--but still...where the heck have they been hiding until recently?

[shimmer-star.livejournal.com]

[updated]

did that thing have pinchers on its butt? if so, those things have been flying around lately, and they're nothing to worry about.

if it's brownish-copper, it's certainly not a roach. those suckers are 99.9% of the time a dull, dark brown.

hope that makes you feel better :)

[blackcatbon.livejournal.com]

hrm... the roach and moth experience should not have been that much of a shock to you, Pegritz. Remember the post you made when the army of ants left the afterresults of a battle onyour front porch? Somthing is up.. You may just be in the wrong place at the wrong time; during a battle of all creepy crawly things...

also... that moth thing is strangely reminiscent of The Raven... after it started perching itself on your porch, did it start saying Nevermore to you?