Outdoors Stop! Six creepy crawlies you don’t want to squash By Jackie Davis Published: August 8, 2022 share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Copy Link Cancel View in Fullscreen 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 By Paul Reeves Photography/Shutterstock Cluster flies Squished cluster flies leave stains. Stains that might be nastier than the flies themselves. Vacuum them up instead. (And ideally, seal up cracks and crevices where future flies can get inside the cottage.) View in Fullscreen 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 By Jan Miko/Shutterstock Water striders Water striders look scary, but there’s awesomeness underneath that freaky exterior: they can walk on water! Also, they eat mosquito larvae. They deserve a heartfelt thank you, not a disgusted slap. View in Fullscreen 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 By Johan van Beilen/Shutterstock Hoverflies Hoverflies, a.k.a. flower flies, only look like wasps—it’s a disguise. (Shhh, don’t tell their predators.) They won’t sting you. Plus, they’re decent plant pollinators. View in Fullscreen 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 By Landshark1/Shutterstock Stink bugs Stink bugs stink when crushed. And the brown marmorated stink bug—an invasive species—can cause an allergic skin reaction if you touch it. Pick it up with a tissue; report sightings to your provincial invasive species council. View in Fullscreen 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 By SanderMeertinsPhotography/Shutterstock Bumblebees You probably don’t ever want to mash a bee with your bare hands. But don’t crush it with a rolled-up newspaper either. We need bees: a single bumblebee can pollinate 6,000 flowers in one day. What did you do in the last 24 hours? View in Fullscreen 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 By valleyboi63/Shutterstock Spiders Spiders eat indoor pests such as ants, they don’t spread disease, and they won’t steal your food. Like other phobia-causing creatures (we see you, snakes) leave them be, and they'll make it their business to ignore you. View in Fullscreen Related galleries The origins of 7 wildlife idioms How well do you know your weasels? Stunning bird photos and videos from the 2023 Audubon Photography Awards 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Stop! Six creepy crawlies you don’t want to squash Curb the knee-jerk reactions! There are some bugs that you just don’t want to squish. Here’s why. This article was originally published in the August 2022 issue of Cottage Life. Featured Video Related Story Wild Profile: Meet the goldenrod spider Related Story Bees’ eye view: what sunflowers really look like (to pollinators) Related Story How to get rid of carpenter ants at your cottage Related Articles The best Christmas tree farms to visit in cottage country this year Outdoors Winter gear to solve all your weather woes Outdoors How to manage an Asian lady beetle infestation Outdoors The origins of 7 wildlife idioms Outdoors