Why do we kill bugs?

Question

How come the smaller something is, the easier it is to kill it?

A fly gets in the house, and our first reaction is to simply kill it. A spider comes around--'Grab a shoe!'

If a stray cat comes meowing at the door, we either feed it, which most people don't do, or we ignore it, and let it live. We don't kill stray dogs, and squirrels and butterflies...not butterflies, but probably and caterpillar...

Answer 1

It is a fear reaction ingrained into us for a long time. Even today we parents in our protective nature will "scare" young children away from bugs. Thus it puts a negative stigma on the whole experience.
Spiders are venomous but rarely will kill humans unless they completely ignore and seek no treatment for the wounds. (I know this as I have been bitten by multiple Black Widows including on in my mouth....long story)
We don't kill stray cats or dogs (most of us normal folks) because we don't associate negative connectations with them, and even people who fear them won't run one over because of society's reprecussions. There is no reprecussions for swatting a fly.

Answer 2

Because people r usually afraid of bugs. Like whenever I see a cockroach i try to kill it. Spiders on the other hand aren't to bad. My dad had 6 pet tarantulas. And the reason Most people don't try to kill cats/dogs is they r cute. Bugs R not cute. And for those Sick,twisted, and demented people who torture cats/dogs. I don't kill caterpillars or Butterflies. But Catterpillars do scare me. A 2 foot long onewas on my leg whren I was 5.

Answer 3

Stray animals re cuter than bugs and are easier to contain whereas bugs escape easily causing a slight state of paronoa that there is a bug in the house. Also they bite and some people do kill stray animals.

Answer 4

People tend to gravitate towards things that resemble humans. Physically dogs and cats have two eyes, one nose and a mouth, like people and bugs have many, giving them an alien appearance. Dogs and cats also socialize and react with people, while bugs are too small to do so. Simply put, we dont see bugs as being cute, so we dont care. It's the same reason why we detest coats made of foxes but dont care to eat chicken or fish. The more human-like the animal is, the more we want it to survive.

Also, bugs tend to infest and ruin things. Ants get in expensive food, flies lay eggs in food, spiders bite and cobwebs are considered to be a sign of a lack of cleanliness, moths ruin clothing, silverfish eat books and photos and ruin paint and tile...etc. Dogs and cats may defecate all over the floor, but then they run up to us and interact with us- what we consider to be like us.

Answer 5

One reason is because i were taught to be like this. For instance, when i was young, i saw a bee, and i was freaked out about it. But my friend just killed it with a pair of shoes. I was amazed because i can simply kill it in order to get rid of my anxiety. The second reason is because this is a crucial world. For example, when you see a lion out of the forest, it comes right on your face. In other words, if you are weak, a higher chance you will get picked on. Moreover, humans are very intelligent species, they always take advantage for their own goods, and that's why some people slice bear skins for clothes. Also, some people catch beautiful butterflies for their collection. Thus, what comes around goes around.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

We kill bugs because they can be a disturbance, it's easy and it's morally acceptable in our culture. I think if it were easier and acceptable by our peers to kill other creatures that 'disturb' us we would kill them too. Some people kill other creatures already though many try to hide it (outside of hunting and other socially accepted situations), it seems to me humans are naturally capable of killing (like most creatures) and generally do it when it's functional and morally accepted.

Answer 8

Millions of years ago our ancestors were ruled by insects. Then came the reptiles and finally mammals came to power. We were hunted by almost every other sub group of animal. It is ingrained in our nature to react negatively against them.

Besides, bugs and rodents carry disease so it's better to kill them than take the chance.

Answer 9

Perhaps the answer you seek is more psychological than philosophical. I would postulate that perhaps on some sub conscious level we as people kill bugs because somehow they represent our fears (since many bugs are ugly and scary looking) so this is one way to get rid of our fear. Secondly perhaps because it is human nature to kill, and we kill bugs because we can. Who knows?

Answer 10

Because we've been brought up to think bugs aren't things that should be anywhere near us. As everything else we've learned, its just what people do. We've been taught to think bugs are gross, and if not, that they should be killed rather than put somewhere other than inside the house.