She-Ra, Mistress of the Universe

Today I wiped out a civilization but it wasn't my fault, they were in my space.

I told the kids that bugs don't get squished as long as they stay in their territory. If they hide in their little corners or stay outside then we can both go about our business.

Today unfortunately I came upon a nest of fire bugs. That's the unofficial name of box elder bugs. I guess the red stripes gave them this childhood name. Anyway...

I wanted to clean the slider doors off the master and noticed a couple of bugs on the window but then when I tried to move the screen a whole cascade started. I ran for the vacuum and started sucking up the combination of live and dead bugs (it's been like 10 degrees here) and they just kept coming. I wonder if that is bug outer darkness...a vacuum bag.

When I finally got to washing the windows I felt something watching me. I looked over to the screen I'd set aside and saw a single fire bug STARING at me. Now you may call me paranoid but the thing had its head over the side of the screen and just froze there LOOKING. I told him the bad news. She-Ra, Mistress of his Universe had wiped out his civilization.

When I was done I took the vacuum to the screen again but to no avail because as I was washing the inside windows, HE came back. This time he'd moved down the screen to get a better view of She-Ra the Destroyer and just froze there.

I will never look at fire bugs the same way...because I know they are watching me. By the way...can bugs get out of vacuum bags?

Lesson Learned:

Those little black dots on your screen may be hiding a whole colony of something. Just don't look up with your mouth opened. (No, I didn't swallow any bugs...just sucked them up.)