Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
One thing I can't seem to find despite googling it to death is the answer to this question. Do most people bug bomb their house and is it possible to avoid doing so? From what I understand the whole bug issue is over exaggerated, and there is not a deadly spider or venomous snake lurking around every corner ready to attack. However, just like anywhere else, there are bugs, some of them dangerous, and I am sure people address this in various ways. Currently, living in the USA, we have people treat our home by spraying the outside perimeter of the house to prevent bugs. We have been able to avoid ever having to use any sort of treatment or chemicals inside of the house, and aside from the occasional mosquito that gets in, have not had any problems. Is it possible to do this sort of thing in Australia? I really want to avoid using chemicals in the inside of my home(have young kids and pets), but I also do not want all sort of critters getting in. I am hoping to live in a suburb of a large city like Melbourne. I do hope to own a home rather than a condo, but not much land or anything, which I am hoping will mean there will be less creepy crawlies.
No. Not in Australia, and not in the US either. In the 70s and 80s my parents did, but we had no idea in those days. They don't any more.
It's quite simple to just put out baits if you have an ant problem, or spray spiders if you see one and want it gone. In America it's more of a problem, of course, because of hornets and ticks and Lyme, and West Nile and Babesia, etc, etc. Even American mosquitoes come out all day long instead of just in the evenings as they do in Australia. In Australia you only need to burn a citronella candle for mosquitoes if you're sitting outside in the evenings. We have some european wasps, but they're uncommon and not native. No hornets, yellow jackets, etc.
America has venomous snakes too, you realise? Cottonmouths and rattlesnakes and the like. You also have venomous spiders, brown recluses, black widows, etc. Plus you have really fun things like coyotes, bears, mountain lions, alligators in people's backyards, great whites and rabid racoons.
Australia's clever marketing campaign of being so super dangerous is great TV and makes us all look super tough, but it was invented for the English, because they really don't have any bugs, snakes or dangerous things. America far outstrips Australia in the things that can kill you stakes, and the things that can kill you in America are also in urban environments.
For example, saltwater crocs have a very limited range, and it's really not where many people live at all, unlike freaking Florida! They pull 200 alligators out of lakes at Disneyworld every year!
Now, excuse me, I'm off to douse my kids in DEET so they can leave the house.
Thank you very much for the response! Yes, I figured it was all hype about the dangerous critters everywhere, things tend to get exaggerated. We have poisonous spiders and snakes where I live in the USA as well, and I never see them.
My friend who lives on the Gold Coast had told me they bug bomb their home every 3 months, which is why I wanted to ask about it on here, to find out if it is common or not. Glad to hear that it is not common and that I can avoid bug bombs
Also, Americans are very into massive pesticide applications in and around their home (if we had ticks and lyme, I might pesticide my lawn, too) on a regular basis. Your friend probably just kept the habit when she moved.
Thank you, that is good to know! I will keep the area in consideration, makes sense some would have more bugs than others due to climate. We are still trying to decide on where to move to, or rather, hopefully move to.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
