GETTING UPSET OVER A WASP???

[Flavourofthemonth123]

So I was over at a friend's house today with our two LO's this afternoon for a lil New Year's celebration (mostly for them, I find new years a bit naff). We were sitting there and all of a sudden a wasp flew at her child (I was mostly shocked to see one in December!) I swatted it down on the floor and stepped on the bastard (it was on the kitchen tiles, so no squishy bug remains mushed into the carpet.) She was a little bit upset that I squashed the wasp in front of her child, saying she doesn't condone killing bugs. I said that a wasp is different from a spider or a snail because they can sting the LO's (I also squash other bugs lol but that's not the point!)

It wasn't a huge deal but I was just surprised at her reaction! Am I alone in thinking that getting upset over a dead wasp is a bit unreasonable? If there was one hoovering around your little one would you hesitate to smoosh him??

Yep I don't kill insects and I would be annoyed if you killed one in my house especially in front of my child.

However you won’t get others agreeing with you

Brave statement when people have already agreed with her

I wouldnt kill the wasp if i could help it, and i wouldnt comment if you did. People react in different ways for different reasons so you may have killed it for what you thought was a good reason

Stop eating meat you hypocrits

I don't

“Stop eating meat you hypocrites”

Any excuse.

Unless there's a freakishly high proportion of Jains on mumsnet, I think there's a lot of sanctimonious hypocrisy on this thread. I personally would try not to kill a wasp as a first resort but that's more from squeamishness than any inherent morality. I imagine many of you are quite happy for animals to be killed on your account to make your food or clothing so long as you don't have to do it yourselves.

What do the people who 'try to direct them out' do ?

' If you'd just like to turn left at the end of the sofa and go straight ahead until you reach the armchair, then take a sharp right and you'll find an open French door that leads directly into the garden. There is a shed there should you wish to avail yourself of the facilities for the rest of the winter.'

It would have been an overwintering mated queen for this summer. The warm few days will probably have confused it hence being about.

Personally I would have killed it but I suffer a reaction to stings.
Realistically she wouldn't want a paper wasp making its home in the house!

I would absolutely have killed the wasp. Every time. I kill wasps if they get into confined places, (like a room, not like a lift) especially if there is a group of children there, or my husband, (who would leave the room anyway). I don't want to test whether the kids are allergic to wasp stings, and I already know that my husband could die if he gets stung by one as it has already nearly happened once.

Goodness me.

We have a chronic infestation of clothes moths. I kill them on sight.

In the autumn ladybirds try to get into the house to overwinter. They aren't native UK ladybirds, they're a recent much more invasive type and if you leave them alone they will breed in huge numbers in the house, so yes, I kill those too if I can't just get them out of the window.

I've been stung by a wasp several times in my nearly 60 years. It's not been provoked. I would also kill a wasp on sight. They're not endangered and I don't want to be stung again.

I would spray houseflies, bluebottles, fruitflies etc too. They're filthy creatures and I don't want them in my home.

When my children were little and got nits, I killed those too.

Not spiders, though. I rather like them and I live in hope that they're eating the clothes moths.

I dont Kill insects if i can help it

Weevils in my flour...oh yeah, they are dead

Infestation of ants in my kitchen...unfortunately yes. I leave them alone in the garden

But if i can move something away i will

Wasps can sting at random. They don't just sting when provoked.

I've been stung many times as a child and am now allergic with the risk of anaphylactic shock. One more sting and I could die. I carry an Epipen.

I kill any wasp near me or at least spray it and open windows when possible.

It's a different scenario when it's me or them.

Flies?

Maggots in my bin

Very sorry baby flies but youve gotta go

I leave flies alone generally

I don’t eat meat actually. Killing something smaller than yourself “just because” is wrong, and shows your character.

What do the people who 'try to direct them out' do ?

No, id do what i do in a foreign country....lots of gesticulating

I have been known to yell 'no that way you stupid bloody creature...there is an open window...you came through it!! Whats wrong with you????'

Not in foreign countries obviously

I think wasps are the only mini beast I will kill...and then only if they come into the house and are hovering around my kids. I would have twatted that wasp as well OP. I understand where your friend is coming from but you were right. They’re aggressive and they will sting.

Jains refuse to eat root vegetables as insects inevitably die when the vegetables are pulled out of the ground. As they are also vegetarian that narrows the range of food they can eat quite considerably. I don't know how they can eat anything that had to be planted in the first place as that would have involved digging a hole. Would they take antibiotics? The right to life of the bacteria vs their own right to life ...

“Stop eating meat you hypocrites”

Good lord! By this argument, because you kill one animal it's okay to kill any animal for any, or presumably even no, reason.

And I don't eat meat.

There's a big difference between killing something which is actively causing a threat or being a serious pest, and there is no other way to get rid of it, and killing something which is doing no harm whatsoever but just happens to have momentarily come within into your proximity.

No there isn’t really a big difference. If I found any flea or bed bug in my house I’d kill it and investigate whether there was a need to kill more. So would you, I bet.

Oh and yes I do always open the window and try to direct them out first.

What exactly do PPs suggest doing instead of killing the wasp? Take it outside? It’s winter- it will face a slow death from hypothermia. Keep it indoors until Spring? If it’s a queen, it will produce a nest in your house, and you’ll have thousands of them flying round.
Many wasps die off in the Autumn naturally- it’s mainly queens who hibernate to produce the next generation.
On a lighter note, I loved the “hoovering” too. I’d be much more kindly inclined to wasps if they hoovered instead of hovered!

I agree with your friend. I wouldn't kill something in front of children or at all if it can reasonably be avoided.

Don’t kill bees, do kill wasps.

Anyone breaking off a friendship due to me killing a wasp is probably not going to get on that well with me anyway

Poor thing. OP - you're a horrible person if you think it's okay to purposely kill anything, especially if it wasn't meaning to hurt you at the time. Even if it is a wasp.

YABU. No need to kill it.