Oh god! It can fly? That’s not fair!
-Louis
He uttered those words in reference to the giant, fearsome beetle-thing that was blocking entrance to my apartment. Or rather, he uttered them after I poked at it with his sword and it started to fly.
Intellectually, I’m not terribly afraid of bugs: they tend to be an annoyance rather than a source of fear. The few insects that bite, sting, or are venomous generally leave me alone and I leave them alone. I don’t have any known allergies to insects, so I have no compelling medical reason to be worried about bugs.
But there’s something about finger-length beetles that give me the heebie-jeebies. Upon seeing this insect, the? words of Admiral Ackbar sprang to mind: “[We] can’t repel firepower of that magnitude!” I’m not exactly cowardly, but this bug still creeped me the hell out. It reminded me of the hockey-puck sized ones I saw in Kenya.
My rock-throwing did nothing (( There’s no way I’m getting close to it. Screw that. )), so we were forced to use the sword, which is a rather effective bug-dislodging device.
While I enjoy and appreciate nature, I like to maintain the boundary between “me” and “fearsomely huge insects” when I’m outside, and particularly so when I’m inside (be it my apartment or a tent).
What was it?! Do Palo Verde Beetles fly?
Eric: That’s the beast. Evidently it can fly.
Friggin’ thing is probably still out there. I’m not going to leave my apartment tomorrow unless I am fully armed with lasers and my sword.
We caught one when I worked at 2nd Amendment Sports. Those things bite so hard it rang the steel targets we held it up to like a gong.
Sword?
Jon: Indeed, a rapier.
Excellent – I own several myself.