The Summer I Raised an Army

An insectophobe hatches praying mantises on her kitchen windowsill.

I don’t care for bugs. I love animals of all kinds, and I have never been afraid of mice, rats, snakes, etc., but insects have always made me uncomfortable. The more legs they have, the creepier they are to me. That being said, I respect a bug’s right to live its own life — as long as it lives it outdoors. Any bug that makes it inside my house will face the wrath of my BugZooka. (The BugZooka is a large, bazooka-shaped, vacuumed-powered device that can imprison any unwanted insect with a bit of careful aim and the…