The bugs of Sun City, Bluffton... (Columbia: how much, house, buy)

[VarennaGirl]

I had asked about possible retirement to Sun City, Bluffton a bit earlier...it came to my attention on various threads that SC is loaded with various bugs, large and small.
Since Sun City is farther inland, are Palmetto bugs, fire ants, fleas..etc a little less of a problem? I'd read that the futher away from a water source you are, the less they are likely to invaded.
What type of critters are we likely to have as visitors in this area?
I'd like to let my 6 lb poodle run in the yard a bit . I have visions of him being attacked, picked up and flown away with like those flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz...
Also , if we spray Borax around the house is it animal friendly?
I know there have been a lot of threads about bugs but was wondering about this particular area.
Thanks!

[OleTomCat]

Anywhere in this state you will find bugs, snakes, spiders and all kinds of other things that crawl and slither....

[scjj]

Being further inland won't make any difference. You will still have them. Palmetto Bugs as we like to call them aka overgrown roaches is mostly what you will find. Fire ants in the yard. Keep your little poodle away from ponds because of the gators.

[VarennaGirl]

Thanks folks for the honest answers...all I can say is...

[scjj]

LOL, it's really not that bad, you'll get used to it.

[VarennaGirl]

Honestly, I am more worried for my dog being outside believe or not!
What'll get rid of fire ants so the poor little thing won't get eaten alive?

My husband spoke to someone whose MIL lives in Bluffton. They said they sprayed the house every few months to keep the Flying Roachy thingys at bay....
Does that sound like a feasible thing to do? Does it really work?? Is it healthy?

[Buckeye in SC]

Originally Posted by VarennaGirl

Honestly, I am more worried for my dog being outside believe or not!
What'll get rid of fire ants so the poor little thing won't get eaten alive?

My husband spoke to someone whose MIL lives in Bluffton. They said they sprayed the house every few months to keep the Flying Roachy thingys at bay....
Does that sound like a feasible thing to do? Does it really work?? Is it healthy?

Yes, until this September (when I had gotten a bit behind on spraying - the first 2 years I sprayed about every 2-3 months around the outside/windows/doors/etc.) we had 1 palmetto bug in our house during the 2 years we lived here, then we saw about 5 or 6 the next month late at night/early in the morning, the first couple I thought were just chance, but after seeing them a couple times one weekend, had enough! Got a new gallon bottle of home-defense spray, sprayed the entire outside of our house and along the baseboards/entryways inside the house, saw 2 the next morning near windows trying to escape that we were able to kill, and haven't seen one since. I try to spray during a time that we are able to open the windows as the smell can be a little strong for a while, but to me it's 'healthier' to keep disease carrying insects like roaches away even if it means spraying some chemicals that might not be entirely healthy to breathe in - which the smell only lasts for a couple hours at most especially if you have windows open. Obviously I am careful not to spray near things like the dogs water/food, etc.

As for the fire ants, we've had just two (very small hills at that) of them so far, there are pellets/powder type stuff in a bag you can get when they have already built a hill, and then also there is fertilizer that is supposed to keep them away from the start that has seemed to help as well.

[VarennaGirl]

Buckeye, thanks so much for the detailed answer. I forgot to mention that I have asthma and I guess I was worried about that as well as what's safe to put outside with a dog running around the backyard. We don't mind keeping up with the sparying as long as it's safe for our us and our pup.

Would you know if the fertilizer is animal friendly? Or if you have the name of I could reseach it.
Thanks much! I appreciate all of your very helpful answers.

[Buckeye in SC]

Originally Posted by VarennaGirl

Buckeye, thanks so much for the detailed answer. I forgot to mention that I have asthma and I guess I was worried about that as well as what's safe to put outside with a dog running around the backyard. We don't mind keeping up with the sparying as long as it's safe for our us and our pup.

Would you know if the fertilizer is animal friendly? Or if you have the name of I could reseach it.
Thanks much! I appreciate all of your very helpful answers.

I'm pretty sure the fertilizer I used was Scott's. As far as what's safe, they recommend fertilizing before a rain storm or just watering heavily after typically, but I will let both our dogs outside for a little bit before I do it, and try to limit their time out the first few days afterwards or just try to mix in a few extra short walks so they don't need to have lots of time in the yard.

Having asthma I'd be careful how much you spray inside b/c it can be a strong smell at first, but for sure spray around the entire exterior of your home and all the windows & doors. I've used Ortho and most recently Bayer, both are about $10 for a gallon jug at Lowe's or Home Depot. A fair amount of people I've met use professionals to do their spraying, but at least here in Columbia, I haven't found it to be an absolute necessity or anything, plus that is a lot more expensive and they are going to use even stronger chemicals than you or I can buy at the store.

All I can say is be proactive, especially when you find a bug or two in your house, but regardless of how much you work to prevent, inevitably a few bugs will probably find a way in during the year when you live in the south.

[Summering]

Originally Posted by VarennaGirl

Honestly, I am more worried for my dog being outside believe or not!
What'll get rid of fire ants so the poor little thing won't get eaten alive?

My husband spoke to someone whose MIL lives in Bluffton. They said they sprayed the house every few months to keep the Flying Roachy thingys at bay....
Does that sound like a feasible thing to do? Does it really work?? Is it healthy?

People spray every month for the roachy problem and it works well doing that.
As far as fire ants, we almost lost a **** Zu from them getting on her and biting her. A bath didn't help at all. Benadryl did though.........That little spoon of meds saved her life. She actually got unconcious and everyone thought she was a goner. There is something that can go down on the grass area to kill fire ants.
Best to do as soon as you expect some.