Questions (Boise, Meridian, Eagle: houses, living in, mall)

[maui08]

1. We have heard sooo many different stories about "bugs" in Boise. Some people say they are not a problem and others say they are. My wife is highly allergic to stings and this is a huge thing for us. Are the wasps just flying all over the place while you are out doing day to day things? When we lived in Texas and New York the wasps were flying all over the place and you couldn't even go from you car to the store without having them in your way. -How about spiders? Are they climbing all over the inside of your homes or are they not a problem? -I know these might be silly ?'s but we have never lived there before.

2. We have heard it gets hot. 100 during the summer months. Is this only during a few weeks to a month and the rest of the year is what temperature?? The weather sites always seem to be off on their temp averages so asking the people who actually live there is more accurate.

3. Family friendly....living on Maui is great as people are super friendly. What is it like in Boise (Meridian, Eagle)?

Thank you for any assistance on these ?'s. Aloha

[truckingbronco]

1. We have heard sooo many different stories about "bugs" in Boise. Some people say they are not a problem and others say they are. My wife is highly allergic to stings and this is a huge thing for us. Are the wasps just flying all over the place while you are out doing day to day things? When we lived in Texas and New York the wasps were flying all over the place and you couldn't even go from you car to the store without having them in your way. -How about spiders? Are they climbing all over the inside of your homes or are they not a problem? -I know these might be silly ?'s but we have never lived there before. I haven't noticed bugs to be a problem. There are wasps but no more than anywhere else. In fact, the bugs will probably seem very scarce compared to what you're used to in a tropical climate.

2. We have heard it gets hot. 100 during the summer months. Is this only during a few weeks to a month and the rest of the year is what temperature?? The weather sites always seem to be off on their temp averages so asking the people who actually live there is more accurate.
It does get very hot but it's only during July and August. People will say it's a "dry heat" but 100 degrees is hot to me either way. Especially when there is little shade if you want to get out and hike. The good news is that the very hot temps only last for a few weeks during the summer and the rest of the year is very pleasent, sans a few inversions in the winter
3. Family friendly....living on Maui is great as people are super friendly. What is it like in Boise (Meridian, Eagle)?
I'm sure everyone will have a different take on this question depending on their own experiences but I've found the people to be very friendly. I've also found people to be very standoffish, which can come across as rude at first, but I think they're just getting a feel for you. It is more of a regional thing than a Boise thing.
Thank you for any assistance on these ?'s. Aloha

[boi2socal]

Well, I can tell you only my experiences...I grew up in Boise, lived in Seattle for a short time and have been here SoCal for several years. There seem to be more bugs and spiders in Boise compared to California. Especially, of the flying variety. Although I haven't seen any extreme bee colonies that you describe where you have lived in the past. It isn't unbearable with the bugs, just more bugs than where I live now.

Boise's climate isn't super consistent but you can usually expect 90s and possibly low 100s almost everyday in July and August. I can almost always remember like clockwork around the last week of May it getting very hot then it cools down again in June then heats up for July and August. Early September can remain hot but then it usually cools down to very nice temps.

Boise is very family friendly. All the cities and towns seem to have many family activities. They always have something going on whether it is directly through the city or via a church or some other organization. People are always very friendly or a better word is polite in that they wave, say hello, ask about you, etc. From my experience that doesn't always equal friends but if you are seeking the superficial aspects of Mayberry, Boise has that. As far as making friends and such that really depends on the person.

[Niners fan]

Originally Posted by boi2socal

Boise's climate isn't super consistent but you can usually expect 90s and possibly low 100s almost everyday in July and August. I can almost always remember like clockwork around the last week of May it getting very hot then it cools down again in June then heats up for July and August. Early September can remain hot but then it usually cools down to very nice temps.

Funny you should say this because it got hot for a week in May and then has cooled down nicely. We'll see how July and August are...

I can't compare Boise to Hawaii, having never been there, but as relative newcomer to Boise I would say that the bugs aren't significantly worse than where we came from in Southern California. From my trips here in the past I could believe that the mosquitoes are slightly worse. I haven't noticed a big problem with wasps.

People in the area are extremely friendly - in person and in their cars. But again, coming from So Cal, most places in the West are likely going to seem more friendly.

[boisefan88]

Lots of bugs here, but probably not as much as tropical regions.

Mosquitos are much smaller here than in most places.

The bees and wasps seem to be dying out inexplicably. National Geographic has done a few articles on this phenomenon.

[maui08]

Lots of bugs ?!?! What do you mean? What kinds? We are mostly concerned with spiders and wasps flying all over the place....how are these pests in Boise? If you go to the mall or store for day to day errands, do you have to run inside because of the bees/wasps flying everywhere or do they just hang around in the vegetated areas? I know these are silly questions, but we have lived in places where wasps were flying all over the place during the summer and we hated it. Thank you

[boisefan88]

There are spiders - you'll see black widows, brown recluse, and hobo spiders for the poisonous ones. Some houses have them bad, others don't.

There are wasps and bees, but not as many as there used to be. It's not like you have to perpetually run for cover from them. It just depends. Once you get into the mountains you'll see a lot of bees and wasps. It's just part of the deal. If you're terrified of bees and wasps, don't go to the mountains.

And then the usual bugs and critters you'll find in other places.

I guess my point is, yeah, there are bugs here. Likely not as bad as Hawaii or a lot of other places. Don't come here thinking you'll never see or deal with a bug, but I don't think it's anything to worry about.

[maui08]

Those types of spiders are actually in homes? Everyone we have talked with say they are around but mostly in the mountainous areas, not down in the populated areas.....San Diego has those too plus rattlesnakes and mountain lions but you never actually see them in residential homes, only up in the mountains. So, how bad is this problem in residential areas since we will not be living in the mountains. Thank you.

[Torrie]

The bugs here are not any worse than any other place you might choose to live in the US...if it was bad, I can tell you, I wouldn't be living here. Here's what we do...we have someone come and spray our foundation and roofline Spring and Fall and we have no problems. If you're in a residential area you aren't going to have any problems, just spray as we do. If you live out in the country you will most likely have more bugs....just like any place. Our cold winters help to kill off a lot of bugs. We are not tropical, so you'll find scarier bugs in Maui than you will here, IMO. Don't worry, it's not bad at all. There aren't swarms of bees flying around or invasions of man eating bugs, lol. When you were here visiting did you notice anything out of the ordinary? Most likely not, because there isn't anything to worry about.

[maui08]

Originally Posted by Torrie

The bugs here are not any worse than any other place you might choose to live in the US...if it was bad, I can tell you, I wouldn't be living here. Here's what we do...we have someone come and spray our foundation and roofline Spring and Fall and we have no problems. If you're in a residential area you aren't going to have any problems, just spray as we do. If you live out in the country you will most likely have more bugs....just like any place. Our cold winters help to kill off a lot of bugs. We are not tropical, so you'll find scarier bugs in Maui than you will here, IMO. Don't worry, it's not bad at all. There aren't swarms of bees flying around or invasions of man eating bugs, lol. When you were here visiting did you notice anything out of the ordinary? Most likely not, because there isn't anything to worry about.

Thank you. I actually visited in Feb. so it was rather cold out. I don't mean to sound paranoid, but I am. lol. My wife is highly allergic to many stings and is sooo freaked out by spiders, wasps, etc. Luckily in Maui, we have lived close to the ocean so we have had zero pests throughout our stay here. There are plenty of pests away from the beach here though!

-Having lived in Texas briefly and upstate NY, we only have those areas to go by since we spent the rest of our time in San Diego and Hawaii. Those 2 states (TX, NY) had wasps literally flying all over the place. When you would go out to grab something at the store as soon as you stepped outside they were just flying about in swarms for the entire summer. We quickly moved back west. It seems to me, some folks on here say the problems are bad and I am only guessing they mean bad in the country/mountain areas and not in residential areas. I would hate for us to move to Meridian or Eagle in a newer home and have these issues. I realize spraying is necessary, we spray even here in Maui.

-Do you ever see those giant spiders, hobo?