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Ani, you write beautifully, I could almost smell the wisteria.
Thank you, Dori! But you are also a wonderful writer.
Sunny's mention of cicadas brought that distant memory back . . .
Spiders can be entertaining. I didn't want my son to be freaked out by insects, so I bought a spider identification book when he was about two . . . and then we would capture all the spiders we ran across - indoors or out, LOL! We would ID them and check them off in the book.
Now, you can get online and ID any critter you see. So maybe it would be helpful to just look at it that way - as an adventure rather than a bad situation when you find yourself staring at something scurrying across the wall!!! It does seem to help kids think of it as "science" rather than something scary.
What should we do if we get bit by a black widow spider? (assuming we know that is what bit us)
Go to Emergency Dept if symptoms are dramatic, or if the person has history of anaphylactic shock. Many people will not have such a bad reaction but it is quite individual and varies from person to person.
Thank you, Dori! But you are also a wonderful writer.
Sunny's mention of cicadas brought that distant memory back . . .
Spiders can be entertaining. I didn't want my son to be freaked out by insects, so I bought a spider identification book when he was about two . . . and then we would capture all the spiders we ran across - indoors or out, LOL! We would ID them and check them off in the book.
Now, you can get online and ID any critter you see. So maybe it would be helpful to just look at it that way - as an adventure rather than a bad situation when you find yourself staring at something scurrying across the wall!!! It does seem to help kids think of it as "science" rather than something scary.
I wish someone had done that with me, because I am scared to death of spiders. I moved to NC on the one condition that I must never see a wolf spider. If I do see one, there will probably be abandoned property in the Steele Creek area....
I wish someone had done that with me, because I am scared to death of spiders. I moved to NC on the one condition that I must never see a wolf spider. If I do see one, there will probably be abandoned property in the Steele Creek area....
Oh, No, Seapr!!! I am so sorry to hear this.
Wolf spiders turned out to be my son's "favorite" spiders!!!! Truly, they won't hurt you! Just squash 'em. Or better yet, get someone else to squash 'em!!!
Do they just freak you or do you have a real phobia? We can't have you leaving NC b/c of a spider!!!
Just get your home sprayed annually. That should keep them away.
Given the hot, steamy summers and mild winters in NC, is it a fact of life that one needs to share one's home/apartment, etc., with critters (for examples, roaches, water bugs)? This is not a question of cleanliness, just the reality of the climate. I don't want to live with the bugs, nor do I want to live with the poisonous sprays that exterminators use. Do I have to avoid NC, or are there places to live without sharing one's home with the critters?
The only place I can think of where one doesn't have to worry about critters is the moon. Good luck getting set up there. Seriously, do you think that there is some place on Earth void of them?
The only place I can think of where one doesn't have to worry about critters is the moon. Good luck getting set up there. Seriously, do you think that there is some place on Earth void of them?
The only place I can think of where one doesn't have to worry about critters is the moon. Good luck getting set up there. Seriously, do you think that there is some place on Earth void of them?
The moon?? Probably not a likely relocation destination...
I'm not looking for a place devoid of insects. I'm trying to get information about the reality of living in the SE part of the US, which has steamy, hot summers and mild winters. I don't want to get into a situation where big bugs (roaches, water bugs, etc) are "normal" inside of houses or apartments.
Every place in the US has distasteful insects, but mostly they live outside and are easier to avoid. In the north, roaches are associated with dense, urban housing, for the most part. But they can be avoided by checking out the rentals carefully, and because of harsh winters, they are not as prevalent. I'm not familiar with housing in the southeast, where the climate is more favorable to these kinds of pests. Just looking for information, not a trip to the moon ;-)
if you have bugs in your home you have a very bad landlord if you are dealing with roaches or water bugs or your not a clean person.
If you are dealing with water bugs unless you live beside a pond or waterway then you need to have that home or rental inspected because you have a leak somewhere in the home. To answer what y ou stated no bugs inside of a home are not normal if you live normally.
Given the hot, steamy summers and mild winters in NC, is it a fact of life that one needs to share one's home/apartment, etc., with critters (for examples, roaches, water bugs)? This is not a question of cleanliness, just the reality of the climate. I don't want to live with the bugs, nor do I want to live with the poisonous sprays that exterminators use. Do I have to avoid NC, or are there places to live without sharing one's home with the critters?
It's partly a question of cleanliness, and in an apartment, it can be entirely up to the cleanliness of your neighbors.
Years ago I lived in a nice apartment on Sharon Lakes for a couple of years and never saw more than the occasional spider. Then the neighborhood started to "turn" and a trashy-looking family moved into the apartment in front of mine. All of a sudden *I* had a major cockroach problem!!! I'm kind of a clean freak, but they got into my coffee maker, and my microwave just looking for any crumb they could find. I cleaned EVERYTHING and even sealed up my kitchen garbage and recycling cans. But then, they would get into my cats' food, and into the litter box. Despite multiple requests for spraying and whatever controls I took on my own, it was impossible to control them and I had to get the heck out of there! I've never had a problem since. (knock on wood)
We've got some big fat wolf spiders and grass spiders that like to hang out around our back porch, and I don't mind them if they *stay outside.* But after my husband had to make what looked like spin art out of one in my kitchen with a box he dropped on it, I sprayed a line of "Home Defense" around the perimeter and they don't get into the house any more. I'd also like to thank our wonderful Carolina anole friends for keeping things under control!
It's partly a question of cleanliness, and in an apartment, it can be entirely up to the cleanliness of your neighbors.
Years ago I lived in a nice apartment on Sharon Lakes for a couple of years and never saw more than the occasional spider. Then the neighborhood started to "turn" and a trashy-looking family moved into the apartment in front of mine. All of a sudden *I* had a major cockroach problem!!! I'm kind of a clean freak, but they got into my coffee maker, and my microwave just looking for any crumb they could find. I cleaned EVERYTHING and even sealed up my kitchen garbage and recycling cans. But then, they would get into my cats' food, and into the litter box. Despite multiple requests for spraying and whatever controls I took on my own, it was impossible to control them and I had to get the heck out of there! I've never had a problem since. (knock on wood)
We've got some big fat wolf spiders and grass spiders that like to hang out around our back porch, and I don't mind them if they *stay outside.* But after my husband had to make what looked like spin art out of one in my kitchen with a box he dropped on it, I sprayed a line of "Home Defense" around the perimeter and they don't get into the house any more. I'd also like to thank our wonderful Carolina anole friends for keeping things under control!
Yes, in an apartment . . . nasty neighbors can make it bad for everyone.
A good apartment will exterminate regularly, as needed. Here at my house, we spray once a year and have had no problems.
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