Skip to main content

Are you afraid of cockroaches?

I know several people who admit they want to run for the hills anytime they see a roach, including my wife.

While I'm not "afraid" of roaches myself, I'm certainly grossed out by them. If I spot one, I stop at nothing to kill it, as the last thing I want is the critter crawling into my shoe or on my bed. And nothing makes me reach quicker for the Raid spray than the sight of one that can fly!

I aim to self-fumigate my condo at least once a month. I figure it's a preemptive way to keep the creepy crawlers from venturing inside uninvited.

It's funny how people's reasons for being terrified of roaches are largely irrational. If anything, roaches are afraid of US, who they rightly see as gigantic beings that can squash them into oblivion.

It makes more sense to be afraid of sharks, snakes, or alligators, all of which can make us their next lunch. But some people find roaches so ugly and disgusting (despite their diminutive size) that they want absolutely nothing to do with them. My wife, for example, won't pick up even a dead roach, fearing that it may be playing dead and will suddenly move while she's attempting to pick it up.

If you want to lessen the chances of an encounter with one of these pests, be sure to fumigate your home. And it goes without saying that you should leave neither food nor boxes lying around your place, which roaches are drawn to like magnets.

Are you afraid of roaches? On a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 denoting the strongest possible "ick" factor, how grossed out are you by these critters?
Labels:

Comments

Priscilla King said…
Being unable to tolerate the touch of insects is probably a reflex that saved our remote ancestors from being eaten by ants...I can look at insects, and crush them, and handle them under laboratory conditions (where actually touching your specimen fouls up your experiment). Just don't let'em touch me!

I also rid homes of roaches, for a standard fee of $100/visit, with discounts for the genuinely disabled and barter options for everyone else. So I can say this with authority--spraying poison is what keeps the population *growing* as you're killing the few predators any insect you poison might have. Scrubbing and powder is the way to get rid of roaches. (Of course, in cities where they breed in sewers, or in Florida where they breed everywhere, you never *stop* scrubbing and powdering...)
August 25, 2016 at 2:07 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Women vs. Men: Who likes to backstab more?

Whether it's on TV or in the workplace, the general consensus seems to be that women gossip, backstab, and stir up more conflict than men do. But, as with every other topic, I thought it only fair to put this so-called stereotype under the microscope. If you watch reality shows like Celebrity Apprentice, you'll notice it's the women who spend far more time bickering. While the men do at times become embroiled in tit for tat, it's the women who are portrayed as meaner and more hostile. In the workplace, I have noticed that women seem to gossip far more than their male counterparts. I haven't really seen any cases where a person blatantly backstabs the other, but I have caught both men and women in little white lies. If it is true that women are generally more into backstabbing and gossiping than men, why is this the case? I believe that it isn't fair to make a blanket statement like "all women play these games while all men keep to themselves and pre...
1 comment
Read More

Do you have Isolophilia? Find out...

You're probably asking yourself, "What in the world does Isolophilia mean?" It sounds like it would be something negative, doesn't it?  After all, words that end in "philia" (e.g., pedophilia) tend to involve things we want nothing to do with. But Isolophilia isn't something all people deplore. In fact, introverts like me welcome it. Put simply, Isolophilia is defined as having a strong affinity for solitude. It describes a person who relishes being alone. While extroverts can only take so much solitude, we introverts find that it rejuvenates us. In order to recharge our batteries, we need to retreat to a quiet environment where we we're left alone to rest and/or gather our thoughts. Extroverts, on the other hand, become bored and drained when they're alone for a lengthy period of time. Social interaction is the fuel that drives them. So while an extrovert would probably do anything to avoid feelings of Isolophilia in most cases, an...
6 comments
Read More

Men prefer to marry brunettes

Study after study shows that men prefer blondes as girlfriends or mistresses and brunettes as wives . It seems many men see brunettes as more trustworthy and loyal. What's more, even though participants claimed that blondes are better in bed, they feel brunettes are better kissers and more affectionate than blondes. I find these results to be rather interesting. In my high school and early college days, I actually had a preference for blondes myself -- that is, until I hooked up with my now-wife. From that point on, I deemed brunettes as more attractive and marriage material, probably because they reminded me of and more closely resembled her. I think we can blame Hollywood, shows like Baywatch, and Playboy for painting blondes as wild, big chested, promiscuous and loose. (Yes, I know that there are brunettes in Playboy, but they seem to be in the minority.) When someone tells a man to think of an attractive blonde, who do you think likely crosses his mind? More likely than...
Post a Comment
Read More