In regards to various bugs found swimming in the pool…
(despite my repeated warnings that bugs are NOT allowed to swim in the pool)
After the bug is fished onto a net and shown a stick to crawl onto, I've noticed that Bees are the most willing to crawl on to the stick. I can then drop the net and move stick plus Bee to a nearby bush, at which point the Bee will agreeably crawl off of the stick and onto the bush, and then I can drop the stick and watch the Bee begin to clean her face just like a cat. The hind legs may also rub together (just like a Fly) or rise up to adjust their wings. A Bee will happily crawl from the stick up onto my hand, which is unnerving. However, I have not yet been stung by a freely-crawling Bee. Only when I pinched a netted Bee between finger and thumb did the recently-drowning Bee decide to sting me. Idiot…..
Moths are the flinchiest, and begin jumping and flailing when poked with a stick. Like all bugs, it is possible to coax a netted Moth to crawl onto a bush by pressing the net against the bush. When dumped off of the net onto the ground, a live Moth will jump and flop and somersault for a few seconds until he is comfortably standing upright. Maybe the pool water makes their wings sticky…. I've often used a flower as a tool to unstick Bee wings when they are stuck at their sides. Another observation is that, despite their flinching, Moths seem most likely to land on my clothes and hang out for a bit as I continue walking around.
Notably, I have not yet seen a Butterfly swimming in the pool. Maybe one of the Moths I've fished out was actually a very ugly Butterfly.
Flies are just as flinchy as the Moths, and generally prefer to fly away as fast as possible, but are also happy to land on me and hang out for a bit.
Spiders may be suspicious of being shown a stick, and once on the stick, are unlikely to crawl onto a nearby bush. Instead, they prefer to threateningly crawl up the stick towards my hand, at which point I will set the stick onto the bush, and let the Spider figure it out from there.
Wasps — I hate Wasps….. I've never ferried a netted Wasp with a stick, instead always dumping them onto the ground or pushing the net directly against a bush to let them crawl off. They seem pretty hardy. I do not need to be stung by a Wasp. Blech.
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