I witnessed a death caused by dust. In truth, I had a hand in it.

Since we moved to the mountains of North Carolina, we have had seasonal infestations of bugs that look like ladybugs. Most people know that real ladybugs are prized in the garden, but our intruders are not. In the house, mostly in our bedroom, we have Asian lady beetles. The photo came from PestSupply on the internet. [Does that name strike you odd, as it did me? Who wants a supply of pests?] It seems our house is a target, since these beetles attack light-colored houses. Ours is tan.

I have documented the dusting in this house, mainly because it doesn’t happen often and is noteworthy when it does. It’s true that one can be contaminated by walking through here, which is what happened to the unfortunate beetle. I spotted it on the bathroom floor, but then it was spotted to begin with. Following the normal procedure, I picked it up, intending to drown it in the toilet. That’s when I noticed its rear leg was caught in a dust bunny. It turned itself over in my hand and started crawling, dragging its baggage behind it. The little toy camera wanted to record this event, so I put the beetle on the counter. There has to be a way to set the camera for close-ups, but I couldn’t find it quickly. If I were put on trial, this fuzzy photo would be Exhibit A.

After taking a dozen poor shots, I carried the bug to the toilet for a quick, watery death. Let this be a warning to all you lady beetles. 99% of you will not get a five-minute reprieve due to a dust bunny trap.