Another thing brought back from the boneyard (at least temporarily) Electrolux cannister vacuum cleaner (PICTURE) Great for a month, then the plastic neck that connects the power head to the wand broke. Repaired under warranty. Then started throwing very fine dust from the power head. So fine it looked like smoke. Then the motor quit. Overheating. Cleaned the filters. Same thing. I assumed dust got inside the motor and ruined it. There is a vacuum repair place in town that's been in business since I moved here, but I'd rather put money into a better vacuum. Nothing to lose, I took everything apart that would come apart easily and cleaned it. Found another (3rd) filter I missed the first time. This time it didn't quit running, but began thumping! So simple. A clog, not in the hose, but in a bottleneck where the power head attaches, right where it broke before. Had to use a plastic drain cleaner thing with barbs to get it unclogged. Why didn't I think to look there? This vacuum is great when it's working properly. Has the strongest suction of any I've ever had. The brushes will pull up cat hairs other vacuums have missed, and they don't get tangled. The brush roller will even pull off little nubs that sometimes work up on a braid rug. I just hate using it now, because I'm afraid it will break again at the same joint.
Bug on a Rug The Ladybug canister vacuum—with its 12-amp motor, retractable cord and full-bag indicator—is the only insect you'll want in the house. Ladybug vacuum, $135 GR Scrub
The first sentence of my original post was .... "Just substitute vacuum cleaner every time you see lawn mower, in the lawn mower story, and this will be shorter." .. But I didn't think anyone would remember the lawn mower story. So I vacuumed it out.
I keep having to vacuum ladybugs out of the bathtub at the mobile home. The brochure called it a garden tub. I didn't understand what that meant until now.
I hate those buggers. I'll offer advice that I'm sure you're already aware of, but others might not be. Those suckers can find their way out of the vacuum cleaner bag and back into the house, so just sucking them up does not necessarily get rid of them unless you dispose of the bag every time, and do it outside of the house. I take a piece of cheesecloth, put it over the end of the hose, put on an attachment (usually the crevice tool) to hold it in place, and vacuum up those suckers. The cheesecloth blocks them from going down into the bag. With the vacuum still running, I spray a small shot of bug killer into the attachment...these are Asian beetles that prey on our native species, not true ladybugs. Then I either take it outside or go over to a trash can, pull off the attachment, and dump the bodies. I've used a shop vac with a 2" hose for this. You can get lots of critters with a rig like that, and the bugs don't stand a chance.
I think they bite also. Not serious, just a little nip. Most of mine are already pushing up daisies in the garden tub by the time I find them. They fall in there and can't get out. In town we have stinkbug invasions every fall. Made the news in Maryland a few years ago. You got those?
Yeh, I got them. And only these beetles nip, because a real lady[bug] never would. The advice is to go outside and plug up all points of entry into the home . Sure thing. If there were cats, that might be salient advice. They usually congregate/swarm around my south-facing patio door here. During "the season," I just keep my shop vac and bug spray handy. They are wiping out our native beetles, so I have no issue laying waste.
We had an infestation of those creepy Asian beetles in our motorhome after camping in a state park in Alabama a few years ago. I thought we'd never get rid of those things.
You don't have them in Houston? I read that the Dept of AG brought them into this country in the 60s/70s/80s/90s to control pests plaguing apple & pear orchards, but didn't notice what their current territory is. The best laid plans...
I'd never heard of them until that trip to Alabama, and we certainly don't have those "swarms" like we experienced there. We do have mosquitoes from hell, though.
It is more than a nip! I was on the roof when I first met them and they started biting me! I wanted to jump off, but restrained myself and waited to finish till it was cooler.