[Margel]

If you don't have any palm trees on your property, will they still come?

[ssg II]

Originally Posted by Margel

If you don't have any palm trees on your property, will they still come?

Where, in Florida, are you gonna live without a palm or a palmetto nearby?

[Margel]

True, but I mean having on directly on your property...are you then less likely to have them infitrate your home. Some who have posted said they hardly see them anymore...so I thought you might have a better chance of avoiding them if you did not have the tree they like living in. I guess it is a pretty dumb question....shows my "yankeeness." lol.

[ssg II]

I don't live in a "planned community" neighborhood, so my situation's probably different. The newer communities are surrounded by, or used to be (duh, obviously) natural habitat for palmetto bugs and other creatures you might not like. It's Florida. The only insects that I can't handle are the deer flies. Mean little bast***s! They hurt, too!

[Minniemom]

Originally Posted by sunshinegirl

I don't live in a "planned community" neighborhood, so my situation's probably different. The newer communities are surrounded by, or used to be (duh, obviously) natural habitat for palmetto bugs and other creatures you might not like. It's Florida. The only insects that I can't handle are the deer flies. Mean little bast***s! They hurt, too!

so are you saying that if you are in a new planned community, you will have more bugs?? GREAT!

[macguy]

Originally Posted by Margel

True, but I mean having on directly on your property...are you then less likely to have them infitrate your home. Some who have posted said they hardly see them anymore...so I thought you might have a better chance of avoiding them if you did not have the tree they like living in. I guess it is a pretty dumb question....shows my "yankeeness." lol.

I think you may be on to something there since some people seem to not have any problems. I have no research available but I would bet most of these bugs live their entire lives with in a few hundred square yards. Once you have created a good perimeter with spraying and not providing good habitats for them you would see very few. My whole property is a habitat for all kinds of stuff we never spray and none of this bothers us. I go in my studio and I often pass the opossum that lives in the laundry area. It just looks at me as it goes where ever it goes.

I have a snake and about six weeks ago the rat I bought to feed it got away. I figured a cat or something eventually got it but two weeks ago it showed up on my work bench and has been living in my studio since. I put out food for it everyday and I see it running around here and there. I am giving it a reprieve and I'm not going to give it to the snake. It is very interesting, since I have been watching it you can see the instincts kicking in. This is a rat that was raised in a cage with food and water available all the time.

It is now stock piling food and learning what it needs to survive. My wife wants me to catch it and put it in a cage if I plan on keeping it but I want to leave it loose and watch it instead. I like all this kind of stuff. I am going in and do some work tonight I'll get a picture of it, it should be out about when I'm in there. It comes out when it hears me and will come right over to me and climb on my hand. I am curious if this will change though as it gets more wild.

[ssg II]

Originally Posted by Minniemom

so are you saying that if you are in a new planned community, you will have more bugs?? GREAT!

What I'm saying is that (& I don't know where you live,) a lot of recent development is just that. If you live in a community that's relatively new, chances are it was scrub, full of all the critters: possums, snakes, bugs.
You think GOD put in St. Augustine grass?

[dreamofmonterey]

Originally Posted by doggiebus

Did someone mention the palmetto bugs that fly? I haven't seen one in a while, but they exist. They look like roaches but they can fly.

forgot about those. Also the fire ants. Even though houses dont have basements, they love the garage- and sting!


sunny

[Ericmrtt]

Palmetto bugs are bad enough up here in Atlanta. We do have the luxury of not seeing them during the cooler months, though. Do you guys see palmettos year round? That is not cool!

[Minniemom]

Originally Posted by macguy

I think you may be on to something there since some people seem to not have any problems. I have no research available but I would bet most of these bugs live their entire lives with in a few hundred square yards. Once you have created a good perimeter with spraying and not providing good habitats for them you would see very few. My whole property is a habitat for all kinds of stuff we never spray and none of this bothers us. I go in my studio and I often pass the opossum that lives in the laundry area. It just looks at me as it goes where ever it goes.

I have a snake and about six weeks ago the rat I bought to feed it got away. I figured a cat or something eventually got it but two weeks ago it showed up on my work bench and has been living in my studio since. I put out food for it everyday and I see it running around here and there. I am giving it a reprieve and I'm not going to give it to the snake. It is very interesting, since I have been watching it you can see the instincts kicking in. This is a rat that was raised in a cage with food and water available all the time.

It is now stock piling food and learning what it needs to survive. My wife wants me to catch it and put it in a cage if I plan on keeping it but I want to leave it loose and watch it instead. I like all this kind of stuff. I am going in and do some work tonight I'll get a picture of it, it should be out about when I'm in there. It comes out when it hears me and will come right over to me and climb on my hand. I am curious if this will change though as it gets more wild.

OK macguy, I'm beginning to get a whole new picture of you in my head! LOL