Well: I read your blog entry and my first comment was: "That was really beautiful". It was and still is. It's about connecting - not just about bugs.
In terms of connecting, I'm not a raw eater: I'm a carnivore. There are things I can't eat meat-wise as the thought of it makes me feel awful e.g. kangaroo meat (I live in NZ and while kangaroo isn't common here, I've been to Aus many times and it's more commonplace there) or rabbit meat. I can relate to the animal and some reason refuse to eat it. I adore sheep, cows with their big brown eyes. Don't like chickens much - one attacked me many years ago and I find them unfathomable. But my parents raised chooks in their early married life and they really enjoyed them.
So: why can't I do that with the cow, the lamb, the chicken? I adore chicken. I'd happily forego the red meat. Fish: I could live without that. Chicken is hard to give up: it's the texture, the flavour. Maybe I could find something vegetarian that gives me the same taste, bite.
As for insects, my Mum and I have always been against killing spiders. I was stunned a couple of years ago when a GINORMOUS spider (probably non-venemous - Australia gets all the "fun bugs") showed up in the garage and my husband and our friend, in their late 30's at the time, delighted in killing it. It wasn't a pleasant killing. I had (stupidly now in hindsight) pointed it out to them and they 'dealt' to it. I was really upset: while I found it scary to look at, I had no desire to kill it. I found the fear of the creature crawling stopped me from capturing it and releasing it myself.
Yes, I have a Robocan in my house that automatically sets of fly spray every 7 minutes (probably dreadfully bad for us) because flies can be a problem and it's near the cat litter tray (which well, putting it plainly gets "whiffy" and attracts things I'd rather not have in the house) but even that bothers me. It's a chemical, and well flies don't enjoy a peaceful passing.
I agree with Steve tho': get over the fact it's scary looking. You are scary looking to other species! Ever thought about that? You invade THEIR space from time to time. So: don't kill the creatures. Carefully put them into a jar or gently capture them and release them outside. They might remember you the day they create a massive plague of <name the insect that scares you the most> and bypass your house...
Good blog entry, Steve. Lots of stuff to think about there.
Cheers,
Jenny.