I had forgotten about lady beetles  until last week.  Ordinarily, their  invasion starts in earnest during the fall.  But now, the nasty little critters are showing up early  in the bathroom and kitchen. It’s been a long cold winter, and they’re looking for a place to get warm.   Apparently, they’re more attracted to light colored houses.  But I’m not about to paint our house brown.  My husband grew up on farm, and bugs don’t bother him much.  Therefore, he doesn’t mind picking them up, squeezing them between his fingers , and throwing them in the trash.  Which makes me wonder. Do lady beetles feel pain?

Some bugs, like spiders, will try to escape if you’re after them.  But the lady beetles don’t seem to anticipate danger coming.  They appear on a sink or floor rather suddenly, then move slowly or stay put.   If I’m alone, I know the dirty deed is up to me.  I take  a tissue and pounce.  Then I close my eyes and squeeze.  I don’t open the tissue to find out if the ladybug is still moving.   Just throw the whole thing in the toilet and flush it away.  I’m hoping it wasn’t a painful death.

Entomologists suggest  that theses beetles are actually a good thing for outdoor gardeners. They consume aphids,  reducing the need for pesticides.  Rather than killing them, we’re supposed to pick them up  with our fingers and release them outside.  Ugh.  I don’t think so.

I did some research on the feelings and emotions of insects. It turns out, there’s no definite answer.  Most entomologists insist that since bugs don’t have emotions, they don’t feel pain.  Supposedly they only have instincts, but not brains.  They’re not like animals, who do have emotions, and suffer from pain if they’re injured.

But new research challenges this assumption. Some scientists  claim  an injured insect will feel pain for the rest of its life.  Which means it’s better off dead . The message I’m getting here is,  don’t hesitate and do a half job.  If a bug is still wiggling around after you’ve swatted it, do it a favor and put it out of its misery.   So it turns out my husband is more merciful than me.  Before the bug even gets scared, it’s out of this world.

Most humans beings are compassionate. But we don’t feel conflicted when killing wasps, flies, spiders , and mosquitoes.  It’s a matter of survival.  And so, I’m going with conventional wisdom.  Lady beetles don’t feel pain.  At least, I hope they don’t.