[ExNooYawk2]

I've been looking at both Florida and Hawaii as a possible place to retire and have read about many pros and cons.

One thing that seems consistent is that Hawaii is full of cockroaches (the big ones) and centipedes. I know Florida has bugs too but is it as difficult to keep them out of your house as it appears to be in Hawaii?

[Rogerluli]

In Florida the lizards have eaten all the palmetto bugs (large cockroaches)...

[Restrain]

The problem with Hawaii is not bugs. Rather it is several air hours from the mainland. People do get bored with nowhere to go beyond the island itself other than by air. Had cousins that lived there, could not wait to relocate back to the mainland. Nice place to visit, not so much to live, especially with the COL.

We have lived down here since spring, only problem we have is with 'no-see-ums'. Nasty little biting bugs that are so small you don't notice them. You start itching and realize you got bit. Even Mosquitos are far fewer than we had in Texas. And the COL is much lower.

[FlyMIA]

Is insects really an issue when picking where to live?? I've never understood this. Maybe this is because I am so used to having them around. I've never heard of a home that did not have an occasional roach or spider in Florida. Pretty sure that is literally impossible to keep them all out. Just make sure you let the lizards you see in and around the home (also impossible to get rid of) live happily. They are the best pest control you can have.

[StarfishKey]

YES, especially if you live in SFL, large cockroaches, lizards, spiders, fire ants, scorpions, and snakes are a way of life, not to mention an extreme number of mosquitoes. Hawaii has large centipedes that bite. You're choosing to live in a tropical climate, so that comes with tropical bugs, not to mention the poisonous tropical plants, and the destructive tropical storms. When you live in such a place, it's not about housekeeping - it's about living in their home, so yeah, they will come in. Most are just an annoyance, and might sting you at worst - they're not going to kill you. If this is not something you can handle, don't move to either location.

[OptimusPrime69]

Honestly, it's not that serious. As long as you have common sense and get pest control to come by ur place every other month and don't leave windows and doors open with no screens, etc...you'll be fine

Florida does have a lot of bugs, but obviously 19.5 million people still manage to live here, no problem. Just make sure you don't lay on an aunt hill, and get ur place pest controlled every so often you'll be fine.

[StarfishKey]

Originally Posted by OptimusPrime69

Honestly, it's not that serious. As long as you have common sense and get pest control to come by ur place every other month and don't leave windows and doors open with no screens, etc...you'll be fine

Florida does have a lot of bugs, but obviously 19.5 million people still manage to live here, no problem. Just make sure you don't lay on an aunt hill, and get ur place pest controlled every so often you'll be fine.

Breathing in poison on the daily is not better than living with bugs. There are many ways to naturally control pest populations in and around the home for far cheaper than paying a company to spray chemicals into your living space, and with far less risk to health. Those chemicals go into our ground and run off into our water supply and local bodies of water every time it rains. They don't just disappear. They get into the cells of the plants we eat, and screw up all our fish, and kill our coral reef. It's not necessary to pay someone every month to come in if you know about how to deter those critters naturally - when you make it a place they don't want to be, they don't want to show up, and they certainly won't stick around.

I just wish people would stop moving here who have severe phobias of the things the state is known for. We have hurricanes, we have bugs. Many people can get over it. But many people can't, and then they are miserable here and add to a miserable environment for all of us, and they spend their whole time here poisoning our land and trying to kill everything in sight, rather than just living WITH the environment and using minimalist natural methods to prevent infestations of pests. It is stressful for everybody. If you really can't get over the idea of cockroaches from time to time, you really shouldn't move, because you'll be unhappy and freaked out the whole time you're here.

I have a neighbor who got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself, and a scorpion was on the towel and it bit her. Now that's an awful experience to go through, and in future the practice is to shake off towels and shoes before they use them to be sure. But it didn't kill her, and it's just part of life down here. We all tend to think the beautiful climate, the sunsets over the water, etc. is worth it. The house is a stilt house, and about 30 years old. They don't have an infestation. But once in a while things get in. On the other hand, I have lived in my house a year, and have not yet seen a single cockroach inside, nor scorpion, and only one tiny lizard. In my apartment in Miami, because it was an apartment and poorly managed, there was an infestation of cockroaches. Because my walls were shared, and the management wouldn't do anything about it, there was not much I could do. I didn't see many, but I saw a few, and I saw plenty of evidence. If you own your own house, it's less of an issue because you can control the conditions and make them not want to be around. Mostly, you don't want to have pests get in the air ducts and leave droppings that you then have to breathe in every time the A/C is on - that's very dangerous for your health. So you have to be proactive about it, but it's definitely possible to stay on top of it, even with natural methods.

But if just the thought of it sends you into a panic attack, FL is not for you.

[AES328]

Originally Posted by OptimusPrime69

Just make sure you don't lay on an aunt hill,

Or an uncle hill

[smarino]

All hot, humid climates are gonna have bugs. Yes, there are centipedes in Hawaii, and I would worry more about them than a roach. One night I was making my bed in Hilo, and was just about to hop in when I noticed there was a large centipede at the foot of the bed INSIDE the bed sheets. Whoa. Luckily I saw that before getting in. Their stings are no joke, especially if you are allergic to them, and there's only one way you would know. But, I lived there off and on for 15 years and never got stung. The roaches are no different than Florida. Just keep your home clean and don't leave food out, don't leave dishes in the sink, etc. We don't even have to spray here in South Daytona, and we're right by the water. No need to have all those toxins in your home, just keep it clean and no worries. Having geckos will help w/ this too. When it rains a lot you're going to get the BIG roaches, what I call water bugs. Other than those, you're not going to see many roaches when you are out and about in Florida. In Hawaii, it was as if they were going out for night time strolls, just walking around on the sidewalks and stuff.

The biggest issue in Hawaii (other than unfriendly locals and crazy rent prices) is the coqui frogs (see link below), especially on the Big Island. They are incredibly loud, and go on all night long. They're nothing like your usual croaking frogs. We had a really difficult time selling a home in Kurtistown, which is a rural area, because several buyers said they could never sleep at night w/ all that going on. Don't forget the skeeters, ants, etc. Just part of the deal w/ these tropical places. At least Hawaii barely had any snakes, and no alligators, bears, panthers, racoons, etc. They did have feral pigs that could be aggressive and dangerous, but that was about it for something that would attack you.

http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/info/species/coqui/

[StarfishKey]

Originally Posted by smarino

All hot, humid climates are gonna have bugs. Yes, there are centipedes in Hawaii, and I would worry more about them than a roach. One night I was making my bed in Hilo, and was just about to hop in when I noticed there was a large centipede at the foot of the bed INSIDE the bed sheets. Whoa. Luckily I saw that before getting in. Their stings are no joke, especially if you are allergic to them, and there's only one way you would know. But, I lived there off and on for 15 years and never got stung. The roaches are no different than Florida. Just keep your home clean and don't leave food out, don't leave dishes in the sink, etc. We don't even have to spray here in South Daytona, and we're right by the water. No need to have all those toxins in your home, just keep it clean and no worries. Having geckos will help w/ this too. When it rains a lot you're going to get the BIG roaches, what I call water bugs. Other than those, you're not going to see many roaches when you are out and about in Florida. In Hawaii, it was as if they were going out for night time strolls, just walking around on the sidewalks and stuff.

The biggest issue in Hawaii (other than unfriendly locals and crazy rent prices) is the coqui frogs (see link below), especially on the Big Island. They are incredibly loud, and go on all night long. They're nothing like your usual croaking frogs. We had a really difficult time selling a home in Kurtistown, which is a rural area, because several buyers said they could never sleep at night w/ all that going on. Don't forget the skeeters, ants, etc. Just part of the deal w/ these tropical places. At least Hawaii barely had any snakes, and no alligators, bears, panthers, racoons, etc. They did have feral pigs that could be aggressive and dangerous, but that was about it for something that would attack you.

Hawaii Invasive Species Council | Coqui

Yes, South Florida has Cuban Tree Frogs. They are poisonous, and the sound drives some transplants mad. Not much you can do - they are invasive, and they are everywhere (outside of the cities). Again, natural prevention is key, there's lots you can do to at least keep all these critters from wanting to be on your property.

And by the way, do NOT expect to swim in canals down here. They're not clean, and as we learned recently in Miami, crocodiles bite! This is a wild place, it's not completely controlled by humans. You need to be ok with that. I love it, but not everyone will.