Oh Gods, I hate those things. They creep me out beyond belief, not to mention they have a venomous sting. OK, it won't kill you, but it stings nevertheless. In one apartment I lived, we had very large and numerous ones. There wasn't a night that I didn't go into a room, flip on the light switch and find a couple on the wall. Yes, I had a standing monthly appointment with Terminix. Though I don't know if what they used was a repellant or an insecticide. And of course they are no better than cockroaches in the places they visit and potential pathogens they carry.
When I had raccoons and squirrels in my attic, I had a professional service trap and relocate them. I stressed to the technician that I did not want them harmed. But by law they cannot euthanize them anyway unless they are clearly ill. I know people don't want to hear this, but "vermin" is where I draw the line between removal and obliteration. We had a small invasion of mice also. Even though mice are considered vermin, and can carry pathogens in their droppings, I spread my cat's soiled litter outside the house where I thought the mice where getting in. Cat pee = no more mice.
I will not deliberately, or go out of my way to kill things like that if they pose not threat to me or my household. But otherwise I felt no guilt in exterminating the insects. Besides, who's to say it wasn't their karma to end that way?
OK, I'm sorry, I know people do take this seriously.
In other circumstances, e.g. behaviors one feels guilty about or knows is wrong, I agree with Swamini in making a hard effort to break the behavior. I'm wrestling with something, actually a few somethings like that now. Easy? No. Keep trying? Yes. Punishment is not the answer. That is so 5th grade Sister Mary Patricia Oreganata from Our Lady of Perpetual Motion School.
