Friday, August 28, 2009

Why do poisoned bugs always die on their backs?

I suppose I could leave it at the title; but, this is a blog; and, there is a back story for the title. So here it is.

Though I keep the place reasonably clean, I live in the middle of a nature preserve. Lots of trees, lots of grass, lots of woods. Lots of bugs – it’s Georgia.

The exterminators get their money, to my mind for no good reason. What kills the bugs? A can of Raid (no scent variety is highly recommended). Once a week or so I spray along the bases of the cabinets and in front of doors and windows.

A day or so later there’s always a corpse near one of the spray lines, on its back, little legs curled across his or her thorax. I wasted another paper towel on one of them when I got home a little while ago.

That’s it. Answers to the question are welcome.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I found a nasty bug on its back yesterday. Front or back, it matters not to me as long as it's dead.

Jeni said...

Damned if I know why they end up on their backs but I'm always pretty doggone ecstatic when I see one in that particular kind of pose, ya know! Spray, spray and spray away some more! I hate bugs. Can you tell?

fermicat said...

I have cats. The bugs don't last around here. They don't die on their backs. They get hunted and eaten.

The Curmudgeon said...

I thought they only died that way in the old cartoons.

I seem to recall seeing dead bugs in a variety of poses.

Dave said...

Maybe it's a southern thing. Or, I've strangely been transported to a fifties cartoon.

Rick said...

It's a central nervous system thing.