How do people actually enjoy being outside in Texas? (Houston: house, college)

[whj3773]

i think a lot of it depends where you live, i have noticed that if im near any urbanized/built up area bugs are hardly noticeable, however if i am in my yard in east dallas at dusk ill get eaten alive.

i think its pretty good rule of thumb that the closer you hare to thicker vegetation/trees and water, the worse bugs and humidity you can expect.

[xS☺B☺s]

Originally Posted by whj3773

i think a lot of it depends where you live, i have noticed that if im near any urbanized/built up area bugs are hardly noticeable, however if i am in my yard in east dallas at dusk ill get eaten alive.

i think its pretty good rule of thumb that the closer you hare to thicker vegetation/trees and water, the worse bugs and humidity you can expect.

Yeah, seems like those of us in East Dallas have more skeeters. My hood (Lake Highlands) is ground zero for West Nile. I've been trying to find the best non toxic cure for skeeters. Thought I had the answer with this stuff all sold in the best garden shops but noticed it said it was extremely toxic to cats. I don't have any cats, but unlike that sick vet in Austin, I'd hate to find out some neighbor's kitty wandered through my backyard and then got seriously sick or worse.

Would love to hear any other advice about ridding skeeters from others in Skeeterville.

[TheotherMarie]

We're from southern California. I'm on your side.
Bugs, weeds, humidity, still hot at night -- I get it.
This is our third summer here. It's frustrating, I know.
At least we have water?? (But no beach. Sigh.)

[bencronin04]

Originally Posted by TheotherMarie

We're from southern California. I'm on your side.
Bugs, weeds, humidity, still hot at night -- I get it.
This is our third summer here. It's frustrating, I know.
At least we have water?? (But no beach. Sigh.)

And that's why we try and inform those on this forum. We also don't have a state income tax and the overall COL is lower.

The bugs don't bother me much, we have a service and spray ourselves with Off. Wife, kids and I are outside almost every night from 5:30-8ish in the backyard.

[TheotherMarie]

Originally Posted by bencronin04

And that's why we try and inform those on this forum. We also don't have a state income tax and the overall COL is lower.

The bugs don't bother me much, we have a service and spray ourselves with Off. Wife, kids and I are outside almost every night from 5:30-8ish in the backyard.

We're here because this is where my husband's job is.
I didn't mean to sound so negative, because there are some good things about living here.
But it is a rough transition to make. What I miss the most: leaving the back door wide open all evening to let the cool breezes in and going for a walk on the beach.

[stan4]

Originally Posted by TheotherMarie

We're here because this is where my husband's job is.
I didn't mean to sound so negative, because there are some good things about living here.
But it is a rough transition to make. What I miss the most: leaving the back door wide open all evening to let the cool breezes in and going for a walk on the beach.

No beach, but we leave windows and doors open to catch the nice crossbreeze.

[bencronin04]

Originally Posted by TheotherMarie

We're here because this is where my husband's job is.
I didn't mean to sound so negative, because there are some good things about living here.
But it is a rough transition to make. What I miss the most: leaving the back door wide open all evening to let the cool breezes in and going for a walk on the beach.

Absolutely. We would be doing the later if it wasn't for family. I love Texas, but I love beaches and cooler weather even more. Though family trumps all.

[gocubs418]

Guess this all depends where you live per say. Coming from the North (Chicago), I haven't been really surprised at all.

Ant hills are definitely more rampant down here. Amdro kills them pretty quickly.

Mosquitoes are pretty bad. Considering spraying my backyard with mosquito killer. This is about my only problem. Mosquitos were bad up north.

Haven't run into a snake yet, but we have had a few large ones in the neighborhood and it would scare me to death. Keep garage and yard clean.

Had one wasp in my backyard. Hammer took care of the small nest.

Ran into 1-2 beetles. Nothing crazy. They left.

[froglipz]

Ice cold beer!

[Tomorrow-by-the-sea]

Originally Posted by xS☺B☺s

I agree I find Texas's climate to be kinda harsh. Skeeters are a nightmare but nothing scares me more than chiggers. Eww! And it is hard to get a day where the temp is right, it's not raining etc. It's certainly not the west coast.

New England is not much better, but a little. We don't have chiggers, but we got ticks. Skeeters there are just like the people - more aggressive and in your face. NE winter is as bad as SW summer.

I have a beautiful patio which is largely for show. I'm gonna try EDS_'s tips though to see about reducing skeeters. Would really like to enjoy my backyard w/o a bath in DEET.

Wife n I had a curiously nice moment Saturday I think. It was a merciful 79 degrees and we were sitting outside Starbucks in Town East. There was a nice strong breeze and since it was all concrete - no skeeter breeding grounds. We sat out comfortable and unmolested recounting how in Dallas outdoor seating opportunities are rare and we were enjoying that moment very much. That and often Sidewalk cafe scenery in DFW is usually a parking lot, but on the upside it usually smells better than NYC or BOS.

I agree! I hate chiggers. I spent just 30 minutes in my backyard last June and ended up with over 50 chigger bites! This year I had the yard treated and got only 15 bites. Still it's awful missing sleep over multiple nights due to the constant itching. With Mosquitos, I just avoid being out in the yard between 7-9 pm.