a gruesome discovery!!

**forestdale** · 01-07-2006, 08:23 PM

I hate hurting anything although I know I do it at arm's length when I take emu oil capsules, eat fish, give our dogs meat or wear leather shoes.

Close up, it's different. I pick spiders up and take them outside, I treat our chickens like they are family members and I lock up our cat at night so she can't hunt in the dark.

Yesterday I alerted DH to the fact that my new nectarine tree, which is sitting in the greenhouse, was covered with grasshoppers. He picked them off and squashed them.

This morning I was in the greenhouse and noticed more grasshoppers on the nectarine. So I got my gardening scissors and tried to catch a really big one within the grip of the scissors. FIRST I CUT OFF ITS LEG, THEN I CUT IT IN HALF!!!!!!

Grasshoppers don't die when you do that. The head half wriggled and stared at me. I had to take it to the chooks to eat to put it out of its misery but it wriggled for about 2 minutes.

**baxjul** · 01-07-2006, 08:33 PM

Oh my goodness! I'm sorry for your experience!

**SHOPGIRL** · 01-07-2006, 08:37 PM

Right now, grasshoppers throughout Australia are in fear for their life.

That is really gross. Now, I don't save spiders or ants, etc...I too have a hard time killing things and I'm a real wimp!

**kestrel91316** · 01-07-2006, 09:09 PM

Hey, here's an idea: can you turn the chickens out so they can clean up the nectarine tree. You would get rid of your grasshoppers AND get those birds fed for free at the same time!!

Then you won't have to do any more mutilating, lol.

**Kimberlina** · 01-07-2006, 09:53 PM

Oh that description was pretty gruesome. Reminds me of when my aunt chopped the head off a snake with a garden hoe when I was a kid. It kept opening is mouth and hissing at us for minutes. It was awful and I think that is why snakes horrify me so to this day. Just thinking about it gives me physical tremors. Yuck.

**slowtypinwoman** · 01-07-2006, 10:09 PM

EWWWW to all the icky stories. lol I'd let your chickens have a go at them.

**Pepper** · 01-07-2006, 10:15 PM

Awww. I'm sorry!

**forestdale** · 01-08-2006, 01:29 AM

Yes, as suggested I'm going to have to bite the bullet and take the tree to the chooks to deal with.

I want to feed them a more natural diet, this will be the start of it.

I am sure the grasshoppers of this area know all about me now.