DAILY DIRT: Cockroaches, spiders and other creepy little things that bug us

For the record, my wife is so terrified of seeing any sort of bug in or even near our house, we have an exterminator come four times a year just to make sure she doesn’t … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 558 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Unless you’re you’re some sort of entomologist, I think it would be safe to say there is no one on the planet who has any special kind of affinity toward bugs.

Whether they crawl or fly, all insects are pretty disgusting.

But which ones of the creepy little fellows do we detest the most? According to Pest Strategies, an online resource for home owners and people dealing with pest-related problems, there’s an overwhelming No.1

Here’s a breakdown of the top 10, when it comes to the most disgusting bugs:

• 1. Cockroaches: 27.3 percent of all responders nationwide voted the cockroach as the most-hated insect. Cockroaches were the most-hated bug in 29 of the 50 states.
• 2. Spiders: These are arguably the scariest of all insects, and 13.3 percent said spiders were the most hated.
• 3. Bed bugs: A mild surprise to me was the bed bug earning the bronze medal, but12.2 percent of all responders can’t stand these little fellows.
• 4. Mosquitoes: I would have expected skeeters to have made the medal stand, but they’ll have to settle for fourth place. They are also the last to garner 10 percent or more of the ballots.
• 5. Ticks: These guys can spread Lyme disease, which is probably why they rank so high.

The rest of the top 10: 6. Wasps, 7. Centipedes, 8. Ants, 9. Scorpions, 10. Fleas.

2. I think anyone watching the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament over the weekend probably enjoyed No. 16 seed Fairleigh-Dickinson’s upset of No. 1 seed Purdue (unless you were a Purdue grad).

Not only because Fairleigh-Dickinson was the shortest team in the nation (according to KenPom.com) with an overall average height of 6-foot-1, but because the Knights were a 23-point underdog to Purdue (which, let’s be honest, is traditionally an underachiever each and every March).

There was one person, however, who had great faith in Fairleigh-Dickinson, and bet $33,000 on the Knights. That resulted in a $495,000 payday at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Fairleigh-Dickinson’s Cinderella ride ended in the second round when it was bounced by Florida Atlantic.

3. My buddy at Muddy River Sports, Matt Schuckman, ran an interesting poll last week when he asked his Facebook friends to vote for their favorite sandwich at Quincy area eateries. He received about 130 responses. These were the sandwiches that led the voting:

• 1. Maid Rite, 28 votes
• 2. Hot Sicilian at La Gondola, 25
• 3. Cheeseburger at The Scoreboard, 12
• 4. Buffalo Chicken at Kelly’s, 9
• 5. Turkey or Ham at Winking’s, 8
• 6-tie. Tenderloin at State Street Bar and Grill, 7
• 6-tie. Tenderloin at Mr. Bill’s, 7
• 8-tie. Philly Steak at State Street Bar and Grill, 5
• 8-tie. Steak Sandwich at The Abbey, 5
• 8-tie. Smash Burger at The Silver Dollar, 5.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — The more I think about it, the more I think wasps and ants were underrated in thought No. 1.