We all have seen the adorable, tickle your skin as it walks on it- predator, the ladybug. I think they are adorable, cute, bring happy feelings, and I’ve learned a little more about them in the last few weeks. By now I think it’s apparent, oby, bugs out of the bag (or container) -that I enjoy plants and flowers more than I ever thought I would. That means that I clearly spend too much time at Lowe’s (for gardening and lite cruising needs).
Well about a little more than a month ago I noticed that they have live ladybugs for sale in these little containers. I picked a few of the containers up to inspect them and the bugs became restless and were crawling all around. I’m sure they looked up at me and thought, “Lady YOU buggin… now open the lid and let us out!”
I know I may be a little more sensitive than most, just like many of us homos can or tend to be. I think we are blessed to be more sensitive or blessed to have learned to be. Sometimes I think we can be a little more in tune with emotions. Likely because some of us are exposed to adversities, are othered early on, and realize that we might be different than straight boy Johnny down the street. Which can make us self-conscious, self-aware, and attuned to the world around us for safety, security, and acceptance reasons.
Well, this sensitive Sal-Lee let more than a few weeks go by before I decided I was going to buy a container of the jailed ladybugs to release them. I’d eyed, pawed and even asked some of the store attendants about the Ladybugs and I’m sure they also thought, “Ugh, Lady you again? You buggin.”
What? I was not only curious, but I felt bad for the prisoners. Aren’t we supposed to speak up for injustices? Those little bugs were piled on top of each other. Placed and imprisoned on a few wood chips and I didn’t see any food or water in said containers. Some attendants didn’t even know they had live ladybugs in the store.
After I purchased it and took my container home, me and my Mommy went outside to open it. To free and release those poor starving bugs. My Madre Dearest, who is coming around to the idea that she doesn’t have to hide what she does from anybody or that she was visiting or is visiting me. Was/Is? It’s her secret to tell so for now- she’s not here, maybe left already, or maybe was never even here to begin with.)
We opened the container and they ferociously crawled over each other to get to freedom. Some crawled and others opened their beautiful little wings and flew the fuck off as quickly as they could. I felt a sense of relief that I at least helped this container of captured wild bugs. The sad part of the release was the lifeless beetle corpses… the starved to death ladybugs in the bottom of the container. The remnants were wood chips and about ¼ of the collected ladybug corpses- lifeless. (Nope, not hibernating- lifeless).
Speaking of hibernating… did you know that ladybugs hibernate? Fuck, neither did I. And human beings get a special permit to go capture the sleeping bugs in Colorado to sell them. Then the imprisoned bugs get sent all across America where so many will starve to death in a tiny plastic container, and they’ll never finish their intended life cycle.
My heart of hearts says that creatures big and small deserve to be free, to be released from captivity or oppression, to have food and water, to have space, and be given the opportunity to thrive in their habitat. After all that’s why we came here to PS, isn’t it? Besides, I’ve seen some of you out and about in our natural habitat, and witness how ferociously you crawl over each other to get some good vitamin D and to be “first.” Like some of us bitches have been starved too.
So, I waited a few more weeks and then on my weekly Lowe’s run I checked in on the end cap of bugs again. It looked like less were moving around than before. I ended up calling the store a few days later and went sorta Karen/Qaren as they shuffled me around from person to person. “Can I just talk to the manager please?” (See I said please, and I didn’t raise my voice.) I immediately thought, “These bitches have me on hold 5-eva.” I waited it out because I had an inkling they were waiting to see if I’d just give up and hang up. Nope, not this ladybug.
After I got disconnected, I called back again. I’m sure after they placed me back on hold, they thought, “This bitch is buggin!” I asked different people I was transferred to about the care of the live animals. One said, “We don’t feed them. Sometimes we will spray them with water.” Others were like, “We don’t sell live animals.”
Me- “I purchased a container and a bunch of them were dead. How long have they been in that container without food?” I proceeded to ask if I could just buy the surviving bugs at a discount to release them. The manager (that day) said they were going to look into the lady bugs and maybe they would get released in the coming weeks. The garden rep stated they would likely release them a few weeks in their garden center at Lowes.
Me- “So they will starve for two more weeks and if there are any survivors then you will release them?” “Can’t we speed that up and just release them now?” I’m sure the sassy gay guy on the other end of the phone (them not me), also thought, “Lady, you bugggggin!”
The manager assured me she would look into it. I went later that day just to check, because it was just heavy on my mind, and I fucking felt bad for those little hooongry bugs. When I looked at the end cap where they were previously located, they were all gone.
I hope they get or were released. I hope that some of them survived. I hope my bitching didn’t come too late and some of them survived. They are wild ladybugs captured while they were sleeping. Ugh, I’d be one grumpy bitch if my hibernation and peace was disturbed.
They deserve to be free just like you and me. Which reminds me I hope you are registered to vote. We need to do everything we can to get President Biden reelected and Ken Calvert out of congress. We don’t want someone who believes in oppressing queer people’s rights or women’s rights representing this gay mecca or our country.
I hope that all of you bug your neighbors, family and friends and if they need help registering to vote that you help them. https://registertovote.ca.gov/ They can register all the way up to 15 days before the election, but why wait? Help them register now.
We, like the ladybugs, deserve to be free in our natural habitat. We deserve to get that Vitamin D, if we so desire and wear booty shorts until our, “next” takes them off. This freedom tastes too good to and we need to make sure we do everything we can to protect it.
If we don’t vote people like Ken Calvert out, they will close the container on our rights, our freedoms and democracy. Vote for Will Rollins! https://registertovote.ca.gov/ I hope my bitching about voting doesn’t come too late and that all our rights, freedoms, and our democratic republic survives. That orange monster belongs in jail and not in the White House again. Put him in a container/behind bars because all our rights matter and not just the uber wealthy and white.
Something that also is disheartening to witness… like starving bugs to death.. is the two-tiered justice system in full motion. Had any of us behaved or violated a judge’s order like that orange monster has, we’d have been jailed and imprisoned like a ladybug. Only there’s a reason to imprison the orange monster- to protect our lives and our country.
The Lady That Be Buggin,
The Happy Homo
PS Voter Registration Deadline
If you are registering or re-registering less than 15 days before an election you will need to complete the Same-Day Voter Registration process and request your ballot in person at your county elections office or polling location. For more information on voter registration and voting locations, contact your local county elections official.
PSS After looking a little more into ladybugs and their life cycle I was shocked to find out they can survive up to 9 months without food. I wonder how long these particular bugs have not eaten. If they were captured last winter during their natural migration….lets say November? 5- 6 months in a container with no food? Some bugs may have not had fat reserves (like I’ve been storing all winter and trying to shed it now.) Those ones were probably the dead ones left in the container. So, am I just being over reactive? Too sensitive to a little bug? It’s possible…but it does seem cruel to me to capture something when it’s sleeping, don’t feed it, and imprison them for months only to be shipped far away off their migratory path to be released.
PSSS “But many entomologists believe that commercially sold ladybugs are inefficient for biological pest control and introduce disease-carrying pathogens to their wild counterparts. They also fear that field-gathering the dormant insects by the millions shrinks the population available to farmers, prompting heavier pesticide use.” https://www.boston.com/real-estate/gardening/2018/07/13/should-you-buy-ladybugs/
PSSSS Here is a blog about the Ladybug, “Never Buy Ladybugs!” https://fullcirclefarm.blog/2020/07/30/never-buy-ladybugs/
(Just a few of their bullet points.)
1. They are harvested from the wild in the US. Their numbers have been decimated and populations weakened which has allowed for competition from Asian Ladybug.
2. They bring with them ladybug parasites that are transferred to our local population.
3. They are collected during hibernation and refrigerated, but are migratory – which means they will eat a few aphids then go back to Colorado. The ones you release are not the ones you see in your garden (there are many native species).
4. The trade is by special permit to collect from the wild which has been being fought by environmental groups since the 60’s.
PSX5 I found this video informative… and he’s kinda cute https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vX6jP92BEY
PSX6 Do you guys already miss Ruples too? Hehe… all in her pink limousine. Loved that intro.
PSX7 A plant lover… a lover of self reflection… a lover of birds???? Who am I these days? And am I also now a freakin bug lover? Ewe.
PSX8 Here is what I’m buggin about https://www.lowes.com/pd/Gardeners/5002432619
PSX9 Did ya’ll watch Coin Jost deliver his remarks at the White House Correspondence Dinner? I loooved it, laughed about it and so did my Madre if she was here on that day. LOL The New York Times says, “Coln Jost Falls Flat at White House Correspondents Dinner.” If by flat they mean flat out made us laugh and feel emotions then by golly cheese they are right!!! President Biden is a good decent human being and deserves our vote. If you haven’t watched it… you should!
