BUGS ! ? ! things to consider about housing? (Austin, Spring: house, established neighborhood, scorpions)

[TheWiscoKid]

Austin Friends,

So... insects only really pester people from June until November in WI and they don't get very big because there's not a lot of time for them to get big before they die. Our cockroaches are even tiny.

Any advice on where to live or not to live depending on bugginess? Tips and tricks? We have infestation of asian lady beetles, and spiders of course but nothing big, crunchy, with a giant stinger that doesn't fly, or unseen. (like, what the hell is a chigger?) I love wildlife, I just don't want anything eating my cereal or waiting for me in my boot!

I'm not too squeamish, but I wouldn't want to squish something if I didn't know what it was!

I was the in Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority for undergrad and a bat somehow got lost on our third floor. You should have heard the screams- it sounded like an axe murderer was in the house! I ran upstairs and used umbrellas to deflect him out a window, poor guy.

[rickc007]

I've lived all over the U.S. including Michigan (Michigan/Wisconsin, same thing)

I don't find Austin to have more bug issue than MI
If I didn't read about other complaining I wouldn't even notice.

I lived in Coral Springs Fla, near the everglades. Good Lord !
Always stepping/crunching june bugs. Cars had plastic shields covering
the grill to keep the bugs from cloggin up the radiator

Austin is Bug Free compared to Florida

All relative, not an issue to me

[soontobetexan]

It's all good, except for the scorpions, tarantulas, brown recluse spiders and giant 8-inch redheaded biting and stinging centipedes.

None of which will kill you ... well, the brown recluse bite might maim you if you don't get it treated.

Watch out for rattlesnakes, though!

Oh, you do know about all the bats, right?

[calel]

Chiggers are awful little mites that like to live in tall grass, and when they find a nummy human, they latch onto your skin, nom on you for a bit, and fall off. The reaction to the bite is like an obnoxious itchy mosquito bite.

[CarnivalGal]

I'm from PA, and the bugs are one of my least favorite things about Texas. Doesn't really matter where you live in Austin, there will be bugs. They do seem to be worse in the west part of town. But we have scorpions and huge, mutant tree roaches (something exclusive to the warmer states). And don't forget the lizards, but those don't really bother me too much.

[thesonofgray]

I used to live down in a valley (and by valley I mean an area lower than the hills around me) near Bull Creek. Roaches, scorpions, and the occasional centipede and spider. Roaches and scorpions were big and plentiful.

Now I live on the top of the hill and it's all bambi, bunnies, and, um, coyotes. Moral of the story: live at a high elevation not near water.

If you're in the more urban central Austin then you'll just need to deal with your friendly neighborhood roach. And they can be avoided by cleanliness and plenty of cancer-causing chemicals. Happy fogging!

[TheWiscoKid]

I'm not scared of bats or snakes, sorry. I just don't want a house full of bugs because it doesn't appeal to me! We have bats and snakes in wisco, I picked one up when I was a kid at girl scout camp and it promptly got me put in a "time out" because it scared the other girls

I just don't want to be calling an exterminator every month, that's all!

[orangetravelerJP]

The new developments or homes in more rural areas are more likely to have things like scorpions than more established neighborhoods. That being said, this is Texas. You may have a brown recluse in your space no matter where you live. But I wouldn't worry about it unless you choose a brand new neighborhood or a place further away from the city where things are obviously "wild".

Our house, built in the 1970s, had the occasional roach but we never sprayed for bugs, inside or out. We had no other insect problems. Each summer some sort of ant would invade our living room ceiling fan. We had an organic pest company come out and put an all natural (non-toxic, at least to people and pets) product in the attic and it took care of the issue. Otherwise we were pretty much bug free and I think most people in the area would say something similar. Small lizards got in the house fairly regularly during the summer but we had a patented system for catching them (large clear plastic bowl and a thin cardboard lid) and we caught them and let them back outside. They eat bugs and are otherwise harmless creatures so you want to have them in your area!

[livinglife2]

What is Austin Texas like in the winter time. Is it Mild Winter like arizona or las vegas?

[Rockmysawks]

Originally Posted by soontobetexan

It's all good, except for the scorpions, tarantulas, brown recluse spiders and giant 8-inch redheaded biting and stinging centipedes.

None of which will kill you ... well, the brown recluse bite might maim you if you don't get it treated.

Watch out for rattlesnakes, though!

Oh, you do know about all the bats, right?

bats must be pretty ubiquitous, we have a ton here in Ohio and I would imagine Michigan has it's fair share as well.