The "BEB-IN-ATOR"

This is a great time of year. As spring springs, I love seeing the new life coming out of the old dead, gray stuff of last year. I love the metaphor of God's love, how He made the sweet, tender, green appear out of the old gray of my life.

There is, however, a problem with spring. Right now there are insects who are appearing from their winter languishing to move out another generation, to keep the species going. As they do, especially right now with a dearth of new plant growth to feed on, they are often left to hang out in large numbers waiting for the succulents to appear.

Such is the lowly Box Elder Bug (BEB). They love to feed on the juices of soft white wood roots from trees like hollys, soft maples, and, yes, box elders. They spend their winters as adults hiding out, and on the first hint of warmth from the sun, they appear in the millions on the warm siding of houses or the bark of the trees they love, hoping the juices will start flowing.

Of course,the gentle BEB is harmless. They really don't bite or chew or destroy. They do leave little poop stains on the surfaces, but it washes off. I think the most harm they do is appear in large wriggling masses on your house, their little almond shaped red-and-brown bodies writhing about as if in some kind of bud orgy, making you explain to all visitors that the mass of bugs that is making them want to puke is harmless....

Eeww.

Being a beekeeper, I am sensitive to using any kind of persistent insecticide. Additionally, we have a daughter who is a cancer survivor, so deadly chemicals are not a big favorite. Hence, the problems...how do we eliminate the BEBs?

I figured it out today. In my garage I have a manly-garage vacuum on the wall. It boasts a 30 foot hose and enough sucking power that you have to make sure there are no small children in the area when you crank that baby up. Once I sucked the paint right off a fender. Not really.

Anyway, I had a flash of brilliance today. I fired up the garage vac - took the hose outside where the BEBs were basking and wwwhhhheeeeaaawwwhh (that's a loud sucking sound) - down the hose they went - by the millions. You could hear them crashing into the hose wall. If you listened carfeully, I'm sure you could hear their surprised little shrieks. (not really)

You need to understand - they were crawling all over the front side of our 2 car garage. Now they are enjoying whatever the BEBs enjoy in the cozy quarters of our garage vac steel tank.

And for good measure I sprayed in some bug spray to make their rest final.

So now, we wait. Will they find their way out? (that would be bad). Will I forget to empty the container after they die and their bio-mass creates a massive stink? Or, have I discovered an earth friendly way to finally rid the house of this awful scourge?

Stay tuned for the next episode of "The BEB-In-ATOR"

Later.