Lanternflies

 I try to be very tolerant of insects and let them live their lives alongside me.  I know a lot of people have trouble with spiders but I don't.  They can be very beneficial and they are also very sensitive to their surroundings.  About 7 months ago, a spider set up home in a decorative bowl I had sitting on the floor in my kitchen.  My first response was to whisk him away.  But, given some thought, I let him stay and named him Bob.  Each morning, as I started the day, I would greet him and give him a bit of water.  It became a friendly ritual  and I grew fond of the little fellow.  Sometimes he moved around the bowl and sometimes he was curled up in it sleeping.  I would talk to him each day and tell him about the weather and what was going on with the day. It was a cute, peaceful existence until one morning, as I was chatting with him, I glanced over and Bob was gone.  I was perplexed. Bob had never left his bowl before.  At first, I was happy for him, figuring that he had finally figured out how to escape the bowl and explore new horizons. Then suddenly, I had a 'kick in the gut' realization that my very lame cleaning lady had finally noticed him after over half a year.  Oh Bob, I am still so sorry for your untimely demise.  I tell this story to explain my maniacal determination to eradicate every lanternfly on the face of the earth. You might not have heard of them yet but you will. They are an invasive species from China that have taken over our area.  This is the 2nd year we have had them and there are literally millions out there, if not billions.  I spend hours each day killing them.  The government has been pleading with us to do so because of the harm they are capable of.  But, just when you are gaining on them, they flip you the figurative bird:

Check out what is sitting on the witch's nose.