Do you dislike it when people purposely step on bugs?

I think it can be said that we as entomologists or entomology enthusiasts only take life for scientific reasons.

These reasons include research, species variation, or for a personal passion which we have (i.e. hobby). Even as a hobbyist we still eventually pass our collections along to either museums or other collectors; so the lives taken are NOT for naught.

In life, sometimes insects may wind up on our clothing and be a personal nuisance; so I can perfectly understand why someone might take the life or when they invade our home and are considered a nuisance again I have no issues about taking the life.

However, I cannot fathom the reason why anyone would go out of their way to take the life of anything just because it is near you and exists...

I don't want anyone reading into these words and spinning it into something it is not meant to be. I am just being honest in my opinion on this matter. I only take what I can use as a collector and all of my extras get passed on to others.

I squish most of the spiders that get in the house, some, I do relocate outdoors, it really depends on species and where the thing is.

Other than that, I don't squish bugs for any reason, I do kill them, and stick pins in them however. I set ant traps indoors, and it's a matter
of territory- I don't go into an ant colony and make off with their stuff.

The manner which people regard animals is varied, I have rescued bats when I was removing roofing material and they'd be uncovered, and one time
I physically threatened a fellow employee who was about to smash a bat nest with a shovel- he didn't come back to work the next day. I'd rather
hang out with the bats than someone like that.

Animals just do what they do, and it's their job to survive, if it's squirrels eating my bird suet, or raccoons, I just try and make it more
difficult for them to get things I don't want them to have.

Of course, we smash mosquitos, at least I do- and other biting insects without a second thought, I'm not a blood bank after all.

Fishing and hunting are different, at least to me, my Dad did both, and I've blasted many ducks and caught fish, I let Dad clean them however,
and I'll tell you what I think the difference is- if you're going to eat a fish, bird or 4 footed mammal, you're a hunter, other than that, I have 
issues with "pest" control, like shooting coyotes for fun, or even to protect livestock. Now, I can see a rancher having an issue with that, but it's
my viewpoint, I don't trust animals that are bigger than I am to begin with, cows for one, sure, they look tame, standing there looking at you...

I think the first thing you need to realize is that spiders (in general) have some of the poorest vision in the animal kingdom. The majority depend upon their webs for survival and safety. The setae (fine hairs) on their bodies tell them more about their surroundings then their eyesight does. To them you are just an object to crawl upon; like any other piece of furniture, tree branch, building wall etc.

They are not out to get you !

As for the ants you encounter; the only thing they are doing is either following a scent trail made by another ant or they are foraging in the hopes of finding food. Again, the vision of these creatures only allows them to see things virtually (up close to them) and they rely upon their antenna and the setae of their bodies to inform them of their surroundings.

You won't get any reaction from them because again you are no different than any of the other "oversized surroundings" in their world.

I will never change the behavior which you have likely had since you were a very small child.

However, I can only point out that such behavior is misplaced, misguided, and largely unnecessary...

I don't kill anything that I'm not keeping for my collection, however I am aware that as the driver of a car I am responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of insects a year. For those who despise collecting I merely state that if it bothers them so much they had better give up driving and walk everywhere.

In general I pay attention to what I do, not what others do.

As I remind my daughter “who do you need to worry about”?

Chuck

Indeed, your indiscretions with the "little things underfoot"
are imperceptible in nature.

However, if there is any merit to beliefs of "reincarnation"
(i.e. the rebirth of a soul in a new body) then you might
want to re-think your actions here (while your here); because
you may wind up back here as a spider or ant at the very least !

This has been a curious conversation...

Take care.

I usually just read here this forum, but I had to register to say few things: 

First off, OP reminds me of the “evil kid” from a certain dreamworks movie:



That movie, Antz, was sort of chilling to watch. Especially the part where the kid was trying to crush the ants. I remember being quite stricken by the fact that at least in the movie they were sentient... they were basically people.

Ian: you say you like watching their reaction.  How would you react if an aircraft carrier fell on your neighborhood? The scattering and random movements is not accidental.  it is chemically programmed survival. When you brought your crappy shoe down on their home it was like a bomb went off. Of course they’re going to try and climb out from underneath. It is the tactic they would use against an enemy. They want and are trying to attack you. Ants are programmed to repel invaders at the site of their home. That white, logoed monstrosity you are chasing them with (so you can “watch their reactions” to being stepped on - really?) is a deadly invader. Your sneaker is an invader. You standing over them are an invader.

If they had the chance bite your skin, it would hurt and they could possibly repel you. Anthills survive attacks from giant invaders and in some cases repel them. The aberrant treatment you show them doesn’t exist in the wild though.  While other wildlife passing through may accidentally disrupt their home from time to time, they move on... not stand directly on top of their home knowing perfectly well that your continued presence is causing problems for them. And 
although they can repel most animals, they are not as well adapted to deal with a motivated giant purposely dragging his feet over their home repeatedly and squashing anything that moves.  Of course they climb up and  to try and bite... the problem is they aren't equipped to penetrate man-made objects/running shoes with hard rubber soles and artificial foam cushioning worn by some spoiled little consumerist who already has life too easy as it is.

And when they finally dig an exit and finish coming out to retrieve their dead, you are still there, hovering your dirty, malodorous shoe over their home about to do the same thing to them all over again... again and again until your "curiosity" is sated. And unfortunately, all they can do is wait until you are done indulging yourself, lift your crappy foot off their home, and lumber off out of boredom…which is a glaring example of how unfair the universe is.  You sound like a good guy but try to realize: you're being a tyrant.

It's easy to feel like the big bad human in capitalist United States where the animals aren't so dangerous and you live with a surplus of throw-away luxuries. But try going to Africa doing what you like to do here to anthills, where the ants are dangerous and aggressive, and without wearing any of your materialistic, malodorous footwear.  No cheating. Just you and the ants. Let us know how much fun it is to experiment their reactions then.