Dangerous insects in the house: is this a sin?

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MarieVeronica

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I’m sure this question has probably been asked before and I feel a little silly asking again. But this has really been bothering me. I hoped for some answers to this specific dilemma.

Is it a sin to kill dangerous insects… such as spiders, roaches (which can carry disease), wasps and other stinging insects if they get inside your house?

I trapped a very large hornet between a window and screen about 2 days ago and it is still alive. There is no way to open the screen, from the outside. I would have to let it loose in the house again, to free it.

I have an elderly parent in the house… who is allergic to bee sting (possibly to hornet or wasp sting, too). Obviously, if one of these things gets inside our house… it could be dangerous to my mother.

Plus, I am deathly afraid of these things <not that my fear should “condone” killing anything>.

Have I committed a sin? And is it a sin… to continue to capture and kill intruders? We live in an area of the country where there are a LOT of insects… especially in the summer months.

Hoping for Catholic Church teaching on this, if any. Thanks for your answers. God bless.
 
Umm. Well, thank you both for trying.

But for a soul who suffers from serious scruples… these answers aren’t too helpful.

Anyone else?
 
MarieVeronica said:
Umm. Well, thank you both for trying.

But for a soul who suffers from serious scruples… these answers aren’t too helpful.

Anyone else?
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There is no need to suffer scruples. Killing an insect is not sinful, especially when it poses a health or safety hazard. Now go get the can of Raid.
 
MarieVeronica said:
Umm. Well, thank you both for trying.

But for a soul who suffers from serious scruples… these answers aren’t too helpful.

Anyone else?
Click to expand...
May I ask why you have scruples about killing insects?

They’re just insects after all. And no, it isn’t a sin. Insects do not have souls.
 
Oh for goodness sakes! Get a can of Raid! If we let every critter run us over, where would we be??? Mice, rats, (the pests not the pets!) roaches, ants, hornets, termites, et al!! Kill 'em!

Nowhere in scripture or tradition does it state we must be overrun with pests!
 
MarieVeronica said:
Umm. Well, thank you both for trying.

But for a soul who suffers from serious scruples… these answers aren’t too helpful.

Anyone else?
Click to expand...
God in Genesis gave man dominion over all the animals. Means we are free to kill them for food, or if they are pests, or indeed for sport as long as we leave endangered species alone and kill them humanely.

More than this, He specifically commanded the killing for sacrifice (and food) of different animals at various times in the OT - and you can be sure Our Lord had lamb at the Last Supper - it was a Passover meal, after all. Not to mention commanding Peter to kill and eat various kinds of unclean food (all animals, since no plants are considered unclean under Jewish law).

So no, there is nothing wrong with killing animals, and ESPECIALLY not those which pose a health threat to your mother as the hornet does. For heaven’s sake we are allowed to kill HUMANS if they pose a threat to our safety (it’s called self-defence), let alone animals. And all the pests - bees, wasps, flies, cockroaches, mice and rats, spiders and so on - are potential hazards to our health. Even termites endanger us by eating away the wooden structure of our house or furniture, rendering them unstable. Other pests destroy plants that we rely on for food. The threat is less direct but no less real in such cases.

Be at peace and kill that hornet!
 
In your case, it seems to me that the wasp/hornet poses a serious threat, same as a angry dog or a nutjob with a hockey mask and a chainsaw.

While animals do not have immortal souls, that in and of itself is no license to kill them willy-nilly. But as is mentioned, man has dominion over the beasties: and can kill them without sin for legitimate use (food, clothing, etc) or to protect him/herself and his/her family.

Would you take antibiotics to kill all those poor bacteria giving you an infection? Put an anti-fungal cream on your athlete’s foot? Eat a hamburger? Smack a mosquito drinking your corpsuckles and replacing them with Bubonic West Nile Mad Cow Heebie-Jeebies?

If you can’t get the wasp out to set it free, kill it quickly and humanely with an insecticide. Letting it slowly die is not a real alternative. I believe* that putting it out of its misery quickly and promptly is the better option.

*My opinion. You know what part of the anatomy the “opinion” is often compared to. So consider this a 2-cent internet mooning. 😃
 
Any bug that causes or can cause me trouble needs leave before I get to it. Believe me, I’m always the one in the house to pick up spiders, snakes, salamanders, return them outside safely provided they are not poisonous, but any bug that cause us trouble needs to be killed. I can count how many lady bugs I’ve killed via bug bombs and vacuuming. They are such a nuisance here and it drives my mum crazy. Me too since I’m always the one vacuuming them up. The only time lady bugs are a real help is during tobacco season. That’s when they become my best friends. Wasps are terrible buggers so I give them no mercy. Any chance I see them inside out, I kill them. Remember your health is above theirs. I personally like bees and bumble bees so I let them alone as long as they are not in the house. They do a good job keeping away wasps and other bugs.
 
Ok, thanks everyone. I feel better. I know that to some, this question seems ridiculous… which is why I hesitated to ask. But believe me… for someone who suffers from scruples… a seemingly “little” thing can become monsterous.

Lily, your answer was especially helpful. Thank you everyone.

God bless.

Merciful Jesus, have pity on the souls of Your childen, who suffer from scruples.

St. Therese of Lisieux… pray for us.
 
Ghoti said:
While animals do not have immortal souls, that in and of itself is no license to kill them willy-nilly. But as is mentioned, man has dominion over the beasties: and can kill them without sin for legitimate use (food, clothing, etc) or to protect him/herself and his/her family.
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I have had bugs in my house that I have killed for no other reason than it being there, for instance there was a spider walking on my table. I did not kill it for a legitimate use (food, clothing, etc) nor was it dangerous that I needed to protect myself from. Did I sin?
 
No. Relax, you did not sin. If your purpose was to raise bugs just so you could kill them out of sadism, like pulling the wings off a bug before it dies, maybe. But even if you are a researcher or a bait shop owner who’s study and livelihood depends on the study or selling of bugs there is no sin in killing bugs. God gave us dominion over all animals and vermin. God bless you on your journey of discernment.
 
lobster said:
I have had bugs in my house that I have killed for no other reason than it being there, for instance there was a spider walking on my table. I did not kill it for a legitimate use (food, clothing, etc) nor was it dangerous that I needed to protect myself from. Did I sin?
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Not the point I was making. But, no, I don’t believe so.

Now, if you caused undue suffering (pulled the legs off while they were still alive), then I would say Yes.
 
I sometimes feel bad too about killing God’s creatures. This year though I have had hundreds of ladybugs (those asian beetles) infest my home and they won’t leave so this is what I do. For every lady bug I vacuum up I say “Jesus, Mary, I love you, save souls.” When you say that you are supposed to be saving one soul. I pray they will die quickly and that God would save a soul for every lady bug I sweep up. God likes to make good things happen out of bad. Much better for one lady bug to die than for one soul to go to hell. That helps me kill the bugs without getting too scrupuless (can’t spell) and I turn the task into a prayer.
 
No, it is not a sin to kill dangerous pests inside your home. That is why I have a 9mm handgun. 😛 Not very effective against mosquitoes which carry all sorts of diseases, but pretty good against some larger dangerous invaders.
 
Acts 10:11-15

He saw heaven opened and something resembling a large sheet coming down, lowered to the ground by its four corners.
In it were all the earth’s four-legged animals and reptiles and the birds of the sky. A voice said to him, “Get up, Peter. Slaughter and eat.”
But Peter said, “Certainly not, sir. For never have I eaten anything profane and unclean.” The voice spoke to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you are not to call profane.” This happened three times, and then the object was taken up into the sky.

There is not the slightest moral penalty for killing insects, so be about it.

And no you don’t have to eat them. But go ahead if it makes you feel better.
 
Original poster; if you have problems with scrupulosity, I’d recommend seeking out a free subscription to a newsletter called “Scrupulous Anonymous”. I read some issues of it a few years ago and I thought it helped me a lot.
 
Dear Marie Veronica:

I understand your concern as I do not like to kill insects as well. I only kill the ones that I think might be a danger to my little one (spiders that might be poisonous) or hornets, if any. For any other insects, I just live with them, including snails who eat the plants. After all, they need to eat something too!
 
I do not believe it is a sin to kill insects in the christian religion. I have read the bible thru a number of times and cannot find where it listed as being sinful. Most if not all of the dietary rules are in the old testament and I recall Jesus allowed his disciples to break these by letting them break the grain off of wheat stalks and eat it on the sabbath. I don’t see a problem with killing any insects… especially harmful ones…
 
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